The Ministry Of Social Affairs Is Still Investigating Social Assistance Recipients For Online Gambling Players

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Social Affairs is investigating and verifying the alleged recipients of social assistance whose accounts are used to play online gambling (judol).

"This is being investigated because we just received the official letter last week from PPATK (Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center)," said Social Minister Saifullah Yusuf during a hearing with Commission IX of the DPR RI to discuss data on recipients of National Health Insurance Contribution Assistance (PBI JKN) based on National Sole Social Economic Data (DTSEN) reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, July 15.

Saifullah Yusuf emphasized that if the recipient of the social assistance misuses social assistance funds to play online gambling, the Ministry of Social Affairs will revoke the distribution of the social assistance.

"If it really violates, of course we will cross out (as recipients of social assistance). But if for example it is used by other people, of course we will investigate it together with PPATK," he said.

Previously, the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) found 571,410 population identification numbers (NIK) registered as recipients of social assistance (bansos), involved as online gambling players (judol) throughout 2024.

Total online gambling deposits from 571,410 NIK recipients of social assistance during 2024 reached Rp957 billion with 7.5 million transactions.

This was discovered after the Ministry of Social Affairs handed over all Population Identification Numbers (NIK) that had received social assistance from the Ministry of Social Affairs to verify more accurate social assistance distribution data.