TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The head of the Public Information Bureau of Indonesian National Police Ahmad Ramadhan mentioned that the institution has handled 77 cases of online gambling throughout 2023. "Throughout 2023, the are 77 cases with 130 suspects," he said when met on Tuesday, October 3, 2023.

The most recent case of online gambling was reported in September, with 42 suspects from 2 separate cases. "At the beginning of September, apprehension of 31 suspects was conducted by Directorate of Cyber with the help of Bali regional police," he said. The other case was also reported at the beginning of September with 11 suspects.

Some of the websites used by the syndicate were Hotel Slot 88, Auto Cuan 88, Jaya Slot 28, Oscar 28, and Sera 77. "They promoted the sites through Facebook, Twitter, and even boldly displayed it in Suara Indonesia. Some were utilizing fake accounts to persuade people," he said.

Ramadhan explained to Tempo that the national police have cooperated with the Communication and Informatics Ministry to tackle the online gambling issue through an MoU to take down online gambling sites. "We have taken down not hundreds but thousands and even tens of thousands [of online gambling sites]. The suspects could use different accounts," he informed.

The national police, Ramadhan added, focus on the perpetrators to combat online gambling. The suspects, he said, have their own contribution to the case. "The latest example is the 11 suspects we apprehended, one of them is the coordinator and the rest are the marketing team," he explained.

Ramadhan urged the victims of online gambling to avoid the losing game. "Of course, they promised a win, but the reality is you won't [win]," he concluded.

DVIST KHOIRUNIKMAH

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