Indonesia dismantles gambling ring with ties to China and Cambodia
Suspects made up to Rp 20bn each through offshore sites.
Key points:
– 22 arrested across Java in crackdown on online gambling
– Key suspects made up to Rp 20bn (around US$1.2m) in 10 months
– Gambling ads pushed via WhatsApp using thousands of SIM cards
As reported by ANTARA News, Indonesian police have arrested 22 individuals linked to an online gambling syndicate operating servers in China and Cambodia. The group ran illegal sites branded Akasia899 and Tanjung899 and was targeted in coordinated raids in Tangerang, Bogor and Bekasi on 13 June.
The National Police’s Criminal Investigation Directorate stated that each of the main suspects, including a financial administrator and three marketing and server handlers, had earned between Rp 15bn and Rp 20bn over the course of 10 months. Their staff, employed as operators, received monthly wages of Rp 7m to Rp 10m.
Police said the group misused Indonesian SIM cards to generate hundreds of WhatsApp accounts daily. These were used to distribute gambling advertisements to large numbers of users, urging them to deposit funds with promises of easy winnings.
Good to know: The suspects laundered money by converting gambling proceeds into cryptocurrency disguised as payments for goods
Authorities seized 354 mobile phones, 23 computers, 18 ATM cards, a vehicle, 2,648 SIM cards and a modem during the raids.
The suspects are being charged under several criminal laws, including those relating to electronic transactions and money laundering. Penalties include fines of up to Rp 1bn and prison terms ranging from six to 15 years.
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