Jokowi to Establish Task Force to Eradicate Online Gambling

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo or Jokowi presided over a closed-door meeting on the emergency of online gambling at the Jakarta Presidential Palace today, April 18. The government has decided to establish an integrated task force to eradicate gambling on the internet.

Minister of Communications and Information Technology (Kominfo), Budi Arie Setiadi, explained that the task force would be responsible for addressing issues related to online casinos. Several ministries and institutions, such as the police, the Kominfo Ministry, and the Financial Services Authority (OJK) will be involved in this endeavor.

“Pak President explained that there have been public complaints about gambling,” Budi Arie said at the Palace Complex after the meeting.

Although he stopped short of providing details about the structure of the task force, he affirmed that it would be formulated within a week, with the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, Hadi Tjahjanto, spearheading the enforcement efforts.

Budi Arie also emphasized the need for more comprehensive measures than merely taking down content related to online gambling which must involve law enforcement. “We need to strengthen coordination,” he said.

The government noted that the state incurred losses of up to Rp327 trillion due to online gambling. OJK head Mahendra Siregar said the agency in tandem with the Kominfo Ministry had blocked some 5,000 bank accounts suspected of being involved in the illegal activity.

According to him, these transactions were not only carried out within the country or across borders but also through non-banking accounts.

DANIEL A. FAJRI

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