Key points:
- Indonesia’s Komdigi Ministry blocked 43,063 gambling-related digital items in the first week of 2025
- Over 711,000 items were blocked between October 2024 and January 2025 across various platforms
- The Government has established multiple channels for public reporting of gambling content
Indonesia's Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi) Ministry has conducted a major enforcement action against online gambling content, blocking 43,063 digital items in the first six days of 2025.
The blocked content included various social media accounts and websites as part of the country's ongoing efforts to combat illegal gambling activities.
The initiative reflects priorities set by President Prabowo Subianto and Communication Minister Meutya Hafid to protect young people from online gambling and other digital content deemed as harmful.
According to Acting Director General of Public Communication and Media, Molly Prabawaty, the ministry's broader enforcement efforts from October 2024 to January 2025 resulted in the blocking of 711,522 items across multiple platforms.
The breakdown of blocked content reveals the scope of enforcement: 652,147 items on websites and IP addresses, 29,964 on Meta platforms, 17,836 on file-sharing platforms and thousands more across Google, YouTube, X, Telegram and TikTok.
Good to know: Since 2017, the Government has removed approximately 5.5 million gambling-related digital advertisements
The ministry has particularly targeted Instagram accounts that use large follower bases to promote gambling sites.
Officials emphasise that effective prevention requires community participation, especially from parents monitoring their children's digital activities.
The Government has also established multiple reporting channels for the public to flag gambling-related content, including a dedicated website, WhatsApp number and an anti-gambling chatbot.
