380,000 gambling sites blocked thanks to AI
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14 Dec 2024 •
Reading time: 2 minutes In Indonesia, the government has taken measures to combat illegal gambling providers. This would involve the implementation of AI to detect and block illegal gambling sites. The initial figures appear to be very positive, as 380,000 gambling sites were blocked in October 2024 alone.
According to iGB, the system used by the government is able to detect gambling sites completely autonomously and take action to block the websites in Indonesia. Last October alone, the government blocked no fewer than 380,000 gambling sites. The tool goes much further, as more than 300,000 IP addresses were blocked from which illegal advertising was made. This means that Meta, Google, and the X are suddenly several thousand advertisements for gambling operators poorer.
After the elections in October, Indonesia got a new government. Prabowo Subianto became the new president, and he quickly announced that he wants to ban online gambling. So he kept his word and transformed the Ministry of Communications and Informatics into the Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs. Subianto appointed Meutya Hafid as head and the rest happened.
The election manifesto already mentioned the use of AI to track illegal content online:
“The ministry uses artificial intelligence to track and block illegal gambling content. If we count from October 20, we have closed about 380,000 sites. In addition, we have deployed special cyber patrols to track sites and applications with gambling content.” Meutya Hafid, Head of the Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs
Another path that the government uses to track illegal consumption of casinos comes from the collaboration with banks. They have the fraud detection systems that can identify accounts. Vice Governor of the Bank of Indonesia, Jude Agung, confirmed that this is one of their programs in which they help the government since online gambling is prohibited in the archipelago.
Will Belgium follow suit with the use of AI in the fight against illegal supply?
Belgium now has a legal supply that is recognized by the Belgian Gaming Commission. There is therefore no ban on gambling like in Indonesia, but the country is still struggling with a large influx of illegal casinos. The Gaming Commission recently opened a portal where gambling providers can report illegal casino advertising, so that action is taken more quickly. Apart from this, the supervisor can certainly take additional steps to block illegal online casinos. The Gambling Club is also aware of exploratory discussions between payment providers and the Gaming Commission because they can often also dry up the supply of illegal casinos.