Online gambling is increasingly booming and is increasingly concerning. The Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs, Budi Gunawan, shared the latest data. It reveals that 8.8 million Indonesians have engaged in online gambling this year. Sadly, 80,000 children under the age of 10 are reportedly engaging in online gambling.
Satryo Soemantri Brodjonegoro, the Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, disclosed troubling statistics. Many students have become involved in online gambling. During a press conference at the Jakarta Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi) on November 21, he revealed that the total number of students engaged in online gambling has reached 960,000.z
In contrast, the Financial Services Authority (OJK) has blocked approximately 10,000 bank accounts linked to online gambling practices as of November this year. This includes bank accounts belonging to players and developers of online gambling applications.
The circulation of funds in online gambling is huge as data shows. Budi Gunawan, coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs also said that the total circulation of online gambling money in Indonesia had reached Rp900 trillion during this year’s period. The magnitude of the total large circulation of money shows that the impact caused by online gambling is increasingly worrying.
One of the initial factors that encouraged someone to do online gambling is psychological factors like curiosity, reporting from the UI or University of Indonesia. After getting big money they start to become addicted and continue to increase their gambling capital, starting from being curious. In addition to psychological factors, economic factors are also a significant influence driving individuals to engage in online gambling.
One of the main triggers for the phenomenon of the rise of online gambling is low financial literacy. In recent years, the government has actively encouraged financial service institutions to collaborate. Their goal is to improve the financial literacy of the Indonesian people.
