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Over 600K social aid recipients suspected in online gambling
603,999 Indonesian households that currently or previously received social aid were flagged as suspected of participating in online gambling.
The Indonesian Ministry of Social Affairs found, as a result of a cross-check conducted by the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK), over 600,000 households involved in gambling activities.
Saifullah Yusuf, Minister of Social Affairs, said in a statement issued on Sunday, July 20:
“The data matching results between social aid beneficiary families and those suspected of online gambling initially totaled 656,543 families. After deduplication, the number stands at 603,999 families.”
The investigation covered over 32 million records from two of the country’s primary welfare programs, the Family Hope Program (PKH) and Basic Food Assistance (Sembako), which are aimed at supporting low-income households.
The Ministry has since marked these households in the National Social Economic Data (DTSEN) system for closer examination. According to the latest data, 228,048 of the flagged households were no longer receiving aid as of the second quarter of 2025. The remaining 375,951 active beneficiaries will undergo evaluation in the third quarter.
Minister Yusuf stated that the government conducts broader efforts to ensure that public assistance is directed toward families who meet the eligibility criteria and are not using the funds toward prohibited activities.
The Ministry added that further action will depend on the findings of the ongoing assessment, and the changes to welfare eligibility will be implemented in line with existing regulations.
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