Indonesian minister warns against using state aid for online gambling

Saifullah Yusuf said funds meant for education and food should not be used for online gambling.

Indonesia.- Saifullah Yusuf, Indonesia’s social affairs minister, has warned beneficiaries of social assistance not to use state aid for online gambling. He said aid was intended for food and education, including to reduce cases of stunted growth among children.

During a working visit to Semarang, Central Java, Yusuf said: “We hope that all assistance provided by the government can be used properly.”

Yusuf added: “The president has said, take advantage of the assistance. It may not be perfect but if used properly, it can bring many benefits to you, especially for our children,” he noted. According to Antara News, while in Semarang, Yusuf distributed aid totalling Rp71,943,577,891 (US$4.5m).

Gambling in Indonesia is illegal for both citizens and foreigners. In September, Budie Arie Setiadi, Indonesia’s communication and informatics minister, announced that between July 17, 2023 and September 17, 2024, the ministry removed 3,383,000 pieces of online gambling content. The ministry submitted 20,842 keywords related to online gambling to Google from November 7, 2023 to August 8, 2024 and 5,173 to Meta from December 15, 2023 to August 8, 2024.

During a press conference, Arie said he has asked the Bank Indonesia (BI) to block 573 digital wallets linked to online gambling. The government has implemented a monitoring system using artificial intelligence to detect websites associated with online gambling. The ministry is also collaborating with the Financial Services Authority (OJK) and the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) to stop the use of payment and banking systems for online gambling.

Indonesian minister warns employees against online gambling

In unrelated news, Abdullah Azwar Anas, the Indonesian state minister for Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reforms, issued a circular on the prevention and handling of online gambling in government Institutions. Circular number 5/2024 warns that state employees could face penalties ranging from warnings to suspension or dismissal, depending on the severity of the offence.

Anas urged government institutions to launch campaigns and initiatives to prevent gambling. Central and regional governments are expected to conduct educational activities for state employees and non-state employees. Heads of government institutions will have to conduct periodic monitoring and evaluations of efforts and to report actions to the Head of the State Civil Service Agency (BKN).

Saifullah Yusuf said funds meant for education and food should not be used for online gambling. Indonesia.- Saifullah Yusuf, Indonesia’s social affairs minister, has warned beneficiaries of social assistance not…