Gambling-addicted Indonesian online casino users are resorting to increasingly extreme measures to hide their betting activities.
These include fabricating mugging reports, the Indonesian media outlet Suarakendari reported.
The latest such case allegedly took place in the city of Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi Province, where officers explained a viral social media report about a “violent mugging” had caused alarm.
Officers said the incident centers around a 26-year-old male with the initials ME. The man is a resident of Kendari’s Poasia District.
The man has “admitted to fabricating the incident because he was afraid his wife would scold him for spending his money on online gambling sites,” police said.
Bogus Bandit Report
Officers said ME arrived at the police station in Kendari in the afternoon on Sunday, March 22, 2026. He told police agents that four unknown individuals had attacked him at 1 p.m.
In his statement to police, ME stated that two motorcycle drivers, each carrying a passenger, had stopped him in the street.
He gave detailed descriptions of the attackers and their vehicles. He told them they stole a bag and his wallet and fled the scene.
However, police said that they detected several irregularities and inconsistencies in the victim’s statement.
“After further investigation, the victim finally admitted that the report was false,” a police spokesperson said.
In fact, they discovered, the man’s bag and IDR 2.3 million (around $137) had indeed been stolen, but not in a mugging.
Thieves stole the bag at 6 a.m. the same day, while ME was washing his car, police said.
But ME said he had taken advantage of the loss to fabricate a story that would help cover the traces of his recent unsuccessful $180 online gambling spree.
In his statement, ME told police the muggers had escaped with IDR 5.3 million, or $315.
Similar cases are on the rise in Indonesia. In January, police accused a man in the Arjosari District of Pacitan Regency in East Java of faking a violent robbery to cover his own online casino losses.
The man also posted reports he had been beaten and mugged by a gang of highway bandits on social media, and filed a complaint with the police.
He told police the bandits had stolen his money, cut his hand, and made off with his motorcycle.
In fact, police said, the man had fabricated the entire story. The wound, officers said, was self-inflicted. And they traced the motorcycle to the man’s friend, who told detectives he had bought the vehicle from the suspect.
Addiction Cases on the Rise
The developments come as Indonesian doctors issue warnings of sharp spikes in the number of inpatients being treated for gambling addiction.
Some hospitals say they are struggling to cope as patient numbers continue to rise steadily.
Officials say that at certain times of year, hospital bed occupancy rates have exceeded 90%. Some popular psychiatric wards say they are treating hundreds of gambling-addicted patients.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian anti-money laundering agency says gambling deposits shot up after the Eid al-Fitr holiday period. This marks the second year running that the agency has noted such a rise after Eid.
