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Indonesia charges 321 foreigners over illegal gambling
Police in West Jakarta have arrested 321 foreigners in one of the biggest raids over illegal gambling operations in the country.
As authorities revealed on May 9, 2026, the arrests took place close to the city’s Chinatown, which is known for being a hub for more than 70 online gambling platforms that target players outside of Indonesia. Additionally, the police have shared that 228 of the arrested persons were Vietnamese, 57 were Chinese, and the rest were nationals from Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Myanmar.
Wira Satya Triputra, director of general crimes in Indonesia’s National Police, commented:
“We arrested the suspects in the act while they were carrying out activities related to online gambling. We found allegations of organized gambling activities involving foreign nationals from various countries. Immigration violations were uncovered in addition to suspected gambling and money-laundering offenses.”
The police believe that the operations had been going on for around two months, with many of the participants having entered the country on short-term visitor visas who were later assigned to customer service, telemarketing, or financial administration roles within the group.
During the investigation and arrests, police seized cash, laptops, phones, and passports that are said to have been used for managing the criminal network, with marketing records and digital evidence further proving that the group operated more than 75 illegal online gambling platforms.
Under Indonesian law, the convicted individuals could face $116,000 fines and prison sentences of up to nine years.
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