35 Indian Residents in Bali Tried for Online Gambling Bandar, Threatened with 9 Years in Prison

DENPASAR - A total of 35 Indian citizens (WN) were charged with operating an international online gambling company operating from two villas in Badung and Tabanan Regencies, Bali.

The Public Prosecutor (JPU) of the Badung District Attorney's Office, Ni Made N. Lumisensi, read out the indictment in the first trial at the Denpasar District Court, Bali, with the agenda of reading the indictment.

"The defendants are suspected of jointly offering the public the opportunity to play online gambling and making it their livelihood," he said, quoted by ANTARA, Monday, June 29.

The gambling practice was revealed after the Bali Police Cyber Investigation Directorate conducted a cyber patrol in early February 2026 and found the Instagram account @ekdant_book which promoted an online gambling site using an Indian contact number.

The results of the search led to a villa on Jalan Subak Daksina Number 1, Tibubeneng Village, North Kuta District, Badung Regency.

"From this location, the police found the management of a number of online gambling sites that target the general public," said the prosecutor.

On February 3, 2026 at around 11.00 Wita, investigators searched the villa and secured 17 Indian citizens.

Based on the results of the investigation, the defendants have a division of labor as deposit operators, fund withdrawal operators (withdraw), to administrators who promote gambling sites through social media.

The prosecutor said the defendant Piyush Sharma acted as an operational coordinator who arranged the company's needs, ranging from the provision of portable computers, mobile phones, internet networks, to the distribution of tasks to operators.

"From the results of the search, it was found that the defendants worked to manage electronic gambling websites with different tasks, some of which were tasked with being deposit operators, withdraw operators and some also promoted online gambling games to the general public," said the prosecutor.

The development of the investigation then led to a second location at a villa on Jalan Raya Munggu Number 75, Cepaka Village, Kediri District, Tabanan Regency.

At the location, the police again secured 18 Indian citizens suspected of carrying out similar activities as deposit and withdrawal operators using computers and mobile phones.

In the indictment, it was stated that the company operated seven online gambling sites whose entire transactions used the Indian rupee currency.

Players are required to deposit a minimum of 100 Indian rupees or around Rp18,751 and a maximum of 50,000 Indian rupees or around Rp937,945. The balance is then converted into coins used as betting capital.

"One coin is equivalent to one rupee. The coin is then used to place bets on various available games," said the prosecutor.

Games offered include football betting, cricket, horse racing, live casino, poker, three card, and slot machines.

The prosecutor also revealed that the gambling network was centered in Dubai. The defendants were recruited by a parent company in the country and stationed in Bali to operate online gambling services.

In return, the defendants received salaries ranging from IDR 5 million to IDR 8 million per month, depending on their respective duties. The salary was transferred directly from the company's headquarters to the defendants' accounts.

According to the prosecutor, the defendants admitted that they were willing to work as operators because they did not have permanent jobs in their home country. However, they do not have permission from the Indonesian government to offer or manage gambling activities.

For their actions, the defendants were charged with violating Article 426 paragraph (1) letter a of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code in conjunction with Law Number 1 of 2026 concerning Criminal Adjustment. Article 426 paragraph (1) provides for a maximum prison sentence of 9 years.

As an alternative charge, the JPU also charged the defendants with Article 426 paragraph (1) letter b of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code in conjunction with Law Number 1 of 2026 concerning Criminal Adjustment.

During the trial, the panel of judges examined the identity of all the defendants before the trial continued with the reading of the indictment. The defendants were escorted by police and TNI from the Kerobokan Penitentiary to the Denpasar District Court and returned to prison after the trial was completed.