IGB: Indonesia’s New Government Using AI to Combat Online Gambling

発行日 5 December 2024

Indonesia blocked 380,000 online gambling sites in October as part of the new government’s effort to eliminate illegal gambling. Lawmakers are utilizing artificial intelligence to detect and block gambling providers.

Under President Pabrowo Subianto, Indonesia has renewed its commitment to eradicating online gambling, which is strictly prohibited in the world’s largest Muslim country.

Minister Meutya Hafid promptly introduced a 100-day agenda with four key goals: protecting personal data, digitizing government services, eradicating online gambling, and creating a more child-friendly internet.

The ministry is employing artificial intelligence to detect and block illegal gambling content. As of October 20, around 380,000 sites have been shut down, including 300,000 illegal IP addresses and thousands of ads on platforms like Meta, Google, and Twitter.

The government has also launched special cyber patrols to detect sites and applications with gambling content. Juda Agung, deputy governor of Bank Indonesia, added that payment service providers, both banks and non-banks, must implement fraud detection systems to identify accounts used for online gambling.

Despite gambling being illegal, Indonesia’s passion for gambling remains strong. Figures from ABC Asia show that gamblers lost RP327 trillion (£16.2 billion/€19.5 billion/$20.5 billion) in 2023, about 1.5% of the country’s GDP.

The government is using a two-pronged approach to combat online gambling: digital scrutiny of internet traffic and financial transactions, and increasing digital literacy and awareness among Indonesians.