Indonesian government removes over 1.3m online gambling content
Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs has taken down more than 1.3 million pieces of online gambling content since October 2024 as part of an ongoing crackdown on illegal online betting activities.
The move announced by the minister, Meutya Hafid, during a press conference stated that the majority of the content (over 1.2 million) was hosted on gambling websites, while approximately 132,000 were found on social media platforms, Antara News reports.
She said removing gambling content from websites is relatively straightforward, as the ministry has the authority to block access to non-compliant sites, indicating that social media platforms, however, present more of a challenge due to jurisdictional and procedural barriers.
The ministry has introduced a system called the Content Moderation Compliance System (SAMAN), which channels complaints and findings about online gambling content to digital platforms responsible for reviewing the content and removing it if it breaches local regulations to address this issue.
She cited some challenges, stating that, between March and April, the first month of SAMAN's rollout, 214 gambling-related complaints were filed, but only 198 were resolved.
“Facebook has been recorded as the platform with the highest number of unaddressed complaints, with eight complaints left unresolved,” she added.
Online gambling remains illegal in Indonesia and remains a focus of government-led efforts to clean up digital spaces and protect users from financial and social harm.
