PPATK Calls Jakbar a Judol Nest, DKI DPRD Urges Pramono to Move Quickly

Illustration of online gambling or Judol (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The findings of the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) which places West Jakarta as the second region with the most number of online gambling players (judol) in Indonesia have attracted attention.

Member of Commission A of the DKI Jakarta DPRD Kevin Wu urged the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government not only to stop at appeals, but to immediately take concrete steps to suppress online gambling practices.

According to Kevin, the figures revealed by PPATK show that the problem of judol in Jakarta is already at an alarming level. In addition to damaging social conditions, the circulation of large amounts of money is also considered a threat to the family economy.

"The discovery by PPATK that West Jakarta is the 2nd largest area with these judokas is very disturbing. With a number of players of approximately 89 thousand people and a turnover of around Rp. 600 billion deposited, this is a huge loss for the community," Kevin told reporters, Friday, July 3.

Kevin assessed that the money spent by the public for gambling should be used to meet the needs of the family. Therefore, judol is considered to have the potential to push the public closer to poverty.

"Every rupiah spent on playing judo is money that is not used to spend on food for the family, pay school fees for children, even meet their own living needs," said Kevin.

Kevin asked the DKI Provincial Government to strengthen coordination with law enforcement officials to crack down on online gambling perpetrators. According to him, the legal basis for enforcement is already available through Law Number 1 of 2024 concerning the Second Amendment to the Electronic Information and Transaction Law (ITE).

"The regulations are very clear. Article 45 paragraph 3 of Law 1/2024 concerning the Second Amendment to the ITE Law stipulates that anyone who distributes, transmits, or makes electronic information accessible with gambling elements can be fined or even imprisoned," he said.

"This means that it is only a matter of law enforcement. The DKI Provincial Government must coordinate with law enforcement agencies to find and investigate the perpetrators who commit this illegal act," he continued.

In addition to law enforcement, Kevin also encouraged the DKI Jakarta Communication, Informatics and Statistics Office (Diskominfotik) to coordinate with the Ministry of Communication and Digital (Kemkomdigi) to accelerate the tracking and closure of online gambling sites that are still accessible to the public.

"For the time being, the DKI Provincial Government, especially the Diskominfotik, must follow up on the PPATK findings by coordinating with the Ministry of Komdigi. The judol sites need to be tracked, known, and shut down by the relevant agencies so as not to cause more severe losses to the public," he said.

On the other hand, he also asked the DKI Provincial Government to expand socialization regarding the dangers of online gambling so that the community is not easily trapped.

"The DKI Provincial Government, Mas Pram (Pramono Anung) must move quickly to save its citizens from the death trap of judol which can pull people into this abyss of poverty," said Kevin.