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Read Full BioIndonesian officials will ramp up their crackdown on online casinos by conducting mobile phone spot checks of civil servants.
Senior officials in Medan, the capital of Indonesia’s North Sumatra province, will conduct unannounced checks on their juniors’ personal mobile devices to ensure they are not placing bets online, the Indonesian media outlet Detik reported.
The Medan City Government said it will investigate “all state civil servants’ phones” to ensure they have not downloaded online gambling-related apps.
Officials said they were responding to a scandal surrounding the former Medan District Head, Maimun Almuqarrom Natapradja.
Last month, the city said that Almuqarrom had been removed from his post after using his city-issued credit card to place bets on online casino games, settle private debts, and pay his rent.
Auditors found that Almuqarrom spent more than IDR 1.2 billion, or almost $72,000, in state-backed credit on illicit activities starting in August 2024.
“Almost all government agencies in Indonesia are involved in online gambling,” Medan Deputy Mayor Zakyuddin Harahap said. “This is extremely dangerous and very damaging. Because, when it comes to gambling, people will do anything.”
Indonesian Online Casino Crackdown
The official said that online gambling could lead citizens to fall into debt worth “hundreds of millions” of Indonesian rupiahs.
The Deputy Mayor said that online gambling was “more dangerous than drugs.”
“Without anyone knowing, [online gambling addicts] can suddenly find they’ve already spent hundreds of millions of rupiah betting,” Zakyuddin said. “People end up borrowing money; borrowing it from whoever will lend it to them.”
The official said city authorities will use “special tools” to detect online gambling-related activity on civil servants’ mobile devices.
“Online gambling is a disease,” Zakyuddin concluded.
Police, Prison Guards, Soldiers’ Phones Subject to Checks
Indonesian police, military units, and prison services began spot checks of staff last year.
Police officials said inspections would “maintain the discipline and integrity” of law enforcement officers and related staff members.
During these checks, senior officers check mobiles to ensure their owners have not downloaded gambling apps. They also check mobile banking apps for evidence of online gambling-related transactions.
Elsewhere in the country, police in Ternate, the biggest city in North Maluku Province, announced the arrest of two men on suspicion of gambling online using smartphones.
All forms of gambling are strictly prohibited in Indonesia. Offenders can face hefty fines, long jail sentences, and even corporal punishment.
The two men, aged 38 and 25, were gambling on an online roulette platform, officers said.
On its official news portal, the Ternate police force said it had confiscated IDR 170,000 in cash and a mobile phone.
