Tim Alper is a journalist who covers betting news and regulation for CasinoBeats. He joined the CasinoBeats team in May 2025. He reports on breaking news and developments in the world of betting, casinos, and...
Read Full BioAn Indonesian Court has jailed a man who took part in a protection racket for illegal online casino platforms for 10 years.
The Indonesian media outlet Antara News reported that a branch of the South Jakarta District Court sentenced Rajo Emirsyah to 10 years in prison for money laundering-related offences.
The court also ordered Rajo to pay a fine of IRP 1 billion ($61,220). If he fails to pay the fine, Rajo will have to serve an additional three months behind bars.
The conviction is part of a series of prosecutions against government officials suspected of helping online gambling operators evade blocking orders.
The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs, along with other government agencies, has been tasked with creating a blacklist of known gambling sites. The same ministry is responsible for issuing blocking orders to IP providers. These, it says, should ensure citizens cannot access banned sites.
But prosecutors say that unscrupulous intermediaries and ministry employees created a protection racket for gambling site operators.
In exchange for cash payments, prosecutors explained, ministry officials helped remove several online gambling sites from the list. They also gave operators secret warnings to help them evade the blocking orders.
Prosecutors had requested a 15-year prison term. But the presiding judge reportedly believed that Rajo, a former government employee, had behaved calmly and politely during the trial.
Prosecution officials disagreed, however, saying that Rajo had answered questions in an evasive manner throughout the legal process.
Indonesian Casino Protection Racket: Defendant Pocketed $171M
The court heard that Rajo received a bribe worth IRP 15 billion (over $171 million) from an online gambling site operator.
Rajo also coordinated with at least five ministry officials to ensure the site did not appear on the blacklist, prosecutors added.
Prosecutors explained that Rajo had spent the money on shopping sprees and an extravagant vacation with his ex-girlfriend.
He also spent some of the funds on a motorbike tour and used the money to pay for 47 people to make the Umrah pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
Courts Jail Some Racket Members for 15 Years
Courts are trying suspects in the case in four separate “clusters.” The first group comprises intermediaries, who allegedly coordinated the racket.
The second cluster consists of ministry employees, all of whom have since been removed from their posts. A third cluster comprises online gambling site managers and administrators.
The final group, which includes Rajo, is accused of laundering money for the various parties.
Courts have already found several of the defendants guilty. Some have received prison terms as long as 15 years.
Jakarta is currently in the midst of a large-scale crackdown on online gambling. This has seen scores of people across the country jailed for running and promoting illegal casino platforms.
The government is also mulling restrictions on the use of virtual private network (VPN) software. Jakarta thinks many people use VPNs to bypass geoblocked gambling sites.
