Indonesia uses AI to combat illegal gambling
Lawmakers in Indonesia, a Muslim-majority country where gambling is strictly monitored, confirmed the use of AI to block illegal gambling content.
Despite strict gambling...
Indonesia got rid of 3.8 million gambling sites in 14 months
Within 14 months, starting from July 2023 to October 2024, Indonesia blocked 3.8 million gambling sites in the country.
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Gambling in Indonesia is illegal. Despite the legal ban, underground gambling, known as black market gambling, still continues to thrive in the country. The ban has deep roots in Indonesia’s cultural and religious beliefs.
The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (KOMINFO) finds online gambling a “serious threat” to society as total transactions are nearly Rp400 trillion, which is equal to $255 million with almost 3 million players.
To solve this issue, KOMINFO has been actively targeting gambling-related links on educational and government websites. In the end, the body identified more than 31,751 and 31,812 links, respectively.
KOMINFO’s ministry, Budi Arie Setiadi, explained:
“We need to protect vulnerable groups, especially young people, from the dangers of online gambling.”
Moreover, almost 21,000 gambling keywords were reported to Google and 5,793 from Meta.
Destroying the illegal gambling market
Indonesia is not the only country to get rid of gambling sites. Moreover, the countries where gambling is considered to be legal have also gotten rid of gambling sites, yet illegal ones. Macau and Denmark are two of those countries.
Since January 2024, Macau has gotten rid of 36,000 illegal gambling sites to protect its local gaming industry from illegal and foreign competition. And Denmark got rid of 79 illegal gambling sites, such as sports betting, online casinos, and skin betting platforms.
FAQs
Is gambling legal in Indonesia?
Gambling in Indonesia is illegal.
How many gambling sites has Indonesia blocked recently?
From July 2023 to October 2024, Indonesia successfully blocked approximately 3.8 million gambling sites as part of its efforts to combat illegal gambling activities.
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