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 BioA teenage Instagram celebrity could be jailed for up to six years in Indonesia, where prosecutors claim she used her social media pages to promote a gambling website.
The Indonesian media outlet Detik reported that Vienna Varella Angeli Parinussa (19) appeared at the Denpasar District Court on August 21.
At the hearing, prosecutors claimed she repeatedly promoted an online gambling site named Kyota98 on her Instagram account.
Vienna, who hails from Bali, has over 110,900 followers on TikTok. She has almost 55,000 followers on Instagram, where she describes herself as a “professional makeup artist.”
Social Media Phenom Could Get Serious Jail Time & Hefty Fine
Public prosecutors say that Vienna has violated the terms of the Electronic Information and Transactions Law of 2008.
According to the terms of the law, violations are punishable with a maximum prison sentence of six years. Offenders also face a maximum fine of IDR 1 billion ($61,167).
The prosecution service claims Vienna promoted Kyota98 from February 11 to April 16, 2025. The service stated that it had evidence indicating that a Kyota98 representative had communicated with Vienna via WhatsApp.
The representative allegedly asked Vienna to upload one to two links per day to her Instagram pages. They reportedly offered payments of IDR 250,000 (just over $15) per post.
The prosecution presented evidence of bank transfers made to Vienna’s account to support its claims.
The court viewed images and video footage from Vienna’s Instagram account, which included URL links and watermarks.
If followers clicked on the links, prosecutors explained, they were directed to an online slots platform.
Here, they were first prompted to create an account on the site and then asked to make deposits via a QR code.
Prosecutors said that Vienna used the money she earned from the “partnership” to pay for “her daily living expenses.”
Cracking Down on Celebrity Endorsements
In recent months, Balinese authorities have intensified their scrutiny of young Instagram celebrities suspected of promoting online gambling sites.
The media outlet Nusa Bali reported that courts in Buleleng Regency, Bali, have recently sentenced several young female social media stars to prison for promoting gambling platforms on their pages.
This month, a court in the Balinese region jailed the 19-year-old university student Komang Ayu Cahyani for 10 months.
Courts in the regency have also recently jailed the influencers Luh Nanda Sintya Wati (23) and Ni Luh Nia Kusumayanti (21) for similar terms.
Earlier this month, the Indonesian Marine Corps announced it would begin regular checks of soldiers’ phones to ensure they do not visit gambling sites.
