Jakarta - The Ministry of Communication and Information has removed access to 425,506 gambling contents on various platforms, consisting of 237,096 contents from websites and Internet Protocol addresses (IP Address), 17,235 contents from file sharing, and 171,175 contents from social media, in four months from July 18 to October 18, 2023.
"From July 18 to October 18, 2023, we have executed the termination of access to 425,506 gambling contents," said Minister of Communication and Informatics Budi Arie Setiadi during a press conference on the progress of online gambling handling at the Ministry of Communication and Informatics Office, Jakarta, on Friday (20/10/2023).
Also attending the press conference were the Ministry's Director General of Informatics Application Semuel A. Pangerapan and Special Staff of the Minister Sugiharto.
According to Minister Budi Arie, the government has intensified its efforts to eradicate online gambling or slot gambling and has made it a priority for the institution he leads.
This is because, based on estimates, the value of online gambling transactions nationally can reach Rp160 trillion to Rp350 trillion.
"The intensification of online gambling activities is a concern for all of us. This condition encourages us to increase efforts to eradicate online gambling, as well as one of my priorities as Minister of Communication and Information," he explained.
In this effort, Minister Budi Arie has asked telecommunication and internet service providers to continue to improve efforts to eradicate online gambling.
This is done by ensuring the accuracy of system synchronization on the database of sites that contain gambling content.
"I ask Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and cellular operators to immediately follow up on the requests for access termination that we convey," said Budi Arie Setiadi.
In addition, the Ministry of Communication and Information is also expanding the eradication of online gambling content by blocking accounts that facilitate gambling activities.
"Some time ago, we asked the Financial Services Authority (OJK) to block 2,760 accounts from July 17, 2023 to October 16, 2023. We have also requested that Bank Indonesia increase efforts to prevent online gambling activities," the Minister concluded.