On 29 April 2025, the Medan District Court sentenced Indah Siska Sari, a 20-year-old student from the Langkat regency, to two and a half years in prison and a fine of 50 million Indonesian rupiahs (around €2,600) for promoting online gambling on social networks. The sentence, handed down under Article 45(3) of the Law on Electronic Transactions and Information of 2024, reflects the severity with which Indonesia deals with offences relating to online gambling.
The court noted that Sari’s actions ran counter to government efforts to combat gambling-related crime. However, mitigating circumstances were taken into account, including Sari’s admission of guilt, his expression of remorse and the absence of a criminal record.
A future shattered for money
During the trial, it was revealed that Sari began promoting the online gambling site Hopeng on Instagram in August 2024, continuing this activity until early October. She received 300,000 rupees (around €16) every 15 days, accumulating a total of 850,000 rupees (around €45). Sari told the court that she used this money to cover her university fees.
Sari was arrested in a café in east Medan after police received a tip and traced her Instagram posts. Investigators examined her mobile phone and social media accounts, confirming that they were used to promote the illegal site.
A growing phenomenon among young people
Sari’s case is not isolated. In November 2024, another student in Medan was arrested for promoting five online gambling sites on Instagram, receiving between 3 and 5 million rupiah (around €160 to €270) a month. Similarly, in July 2024, police in Bogor and Yogyakarta arrested ten influencers for similar activities, some of them minors.
According to the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Satryo Soemantri Brodjonegoro, around 960,000 Indonesian students are involved in online gambling activities. The Ministry is currently working on setting up a reporting service in universities to help combat this scourge.
Strict legislation and severe penalties
Promoting online gambling is a serious offence in Indonesia. According to the national police’s director of cybercrime, Brigadier General Adi Vivid Agustiadi Bachtiar, those found guilty can be sentenced to up to six years in prison and a fine of one billion rupiah (around €53,000) under the Electronic Transactions and Information (ITE) Law of 2024. Authorities have warned that even influencers and celebrities are not immune from prosecution if they promote gambling sites.
Police are actively monitoring influencers and celebrities who promote online gambling, and several arrests have already been made. In November 2024, a nationwide operation led to the arrest of 734 suspects involved in 619 cases of online gambling.
Intensified government action
Given the scale of the problem, the Indonesian government has stepped up its efforts to combat online gambling. In June 2024, an inter-agency task force was set up to work with Interpol to crack down on these illegal activities. The Ministry of Communications also blocked more than 1.9 million pieces of online gambling-related content between July 2023 and May 2024.
In addition, in October 2024, 569 Indonesian citizens were arrested in the Philippines for illegally operating online gambling sites. These arrests highlight the international scale of the problem and the need for cross-border cooperation to tackle it.
The Medan District Court ruled that Sari’s actions ran counter to the government’s efforts to combat gambling-related crime. Although Judge Vera Yetti Magdalena recognised mitigating circumstances, such as the absence of a criminal record and the remorse expressed by the accused, the sentence remains severe. Prosecutors had initially requested three years’ imprisonment and a higher fine.