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Read Full BioThe Indonesian government says that TikTok, Meta, Google, and other social media platforms have all agreed to step up their moderation of gambling-related content.
The Indonesian media outlet Bisnis Tekno reported that the announcement came from Alexander Sabar, the Director-General of Digital Space Supervision at the Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi), at a press conference on September 17.
Indonesian TikTok, Instagram Pages Face Enhanced Gambling Scrutiny
Alexander said that the government and “16 leading digital platforms, including TikTok, Google, and Meta,” had all agreed to “strengthen their moderation of harmful content.”
A news report about the Komdigi press conference from the Indonesian media outlet Antara TV.
The platforms, he added, all agreed to develop a “particular focus” on online gambling.
Alexander said: “We hope that digital platform providers and our own internal efforts will help us close existing loopholes. Our system will be fully operational next month.”
The system Alexander was referring to is the SAMAN, Indonesia’s own content moderation compliance platform.
Komdigi unveiled SAMAN in February this year, following the launch of an initial year-long pilot in October 2024.
The system is slated to go online later this year. Jakarta says it will help enforce a range of rules pertaining to user-generated content on private platforms.
The government has warned platforms operating in the country that they must ensure their compliance or face administrative fines.
SAMAN will target online gambling groups and illegal casinos, as well as pornography and racial or religious hate speech, Komdigi says.
Alexander said the new system was “vital” to maintaining a “clean, safe, healthy, and productive” digital space in Indonesia.
The Komdigi official also issued another public warning about the dangers of online gambling. He stated that the government remains committed to eradicating online casinos and emphasized that taking down illegal betting platforms is “a top priority” for Jakarta.
Alexander confirmed that, as of September 16, 2025, Komdigi has identified and taken action against over 2.8 million pieces of “negative content.” He said that 2.1 million of these items were related to online gambling.
Online Gambling Leads to Rise in Divorce Rates
Alexander warned that online gambling is causing serious social damage in the country. He explained: “We see children losing their future, parents losing their possessions, and even households collapsing.”
His comments echoed sentiments expressed at the local level earlier this month. In the Berau Regency, a senior local political leader said that most divorce cases in the region are now “driven by the increasingly widespread availability of online gambling platforms.”
Nationwide statistics also appear to confirm this trend. Indonesian academics last year wrote in a research paper: “Statistical data from Indonesia shows an increase in gambling-related divorce cases in the last five years, with a peak in 2023.”
Indonesian media outlets and politicians have blamed the rise of online gambling platforms for a spike in divorce cases in many regions.
Courts in areas like Depok say that “online gambling-induced divorces have been rising since the time of the coronavirus pandemic,” the Jakarta Globe reported last year.
Alexander, meanwhile, concluded that Komdigi “hopes the new multi-sector synergy” would increase the effectiveness of content moderation. He said this would help “break the chain of online gambling and content distribution.”
The government has also recently claimed that violent riot-inciting Indonesian TikTok Live streamers were receiving funding from online casino platforms.
