Online Gambling In NTB Randomized By Police But 'Only' Arrested Betting Money

Photo via Antara

JAKARTA - The West Nusa Tenggara Police are investigating the role of a number of other parties suspected of being involved in online gambling networks resulting from disclosures over the past week in the local area.

The Director of General Criminal Investigation at the NTB Police, Kombes Teddy Rustiawan, said that tracing the role of other parties in this online gambling network is the police's commitment to eradicate gambling practices in the NTB area.

"So, there are still some (online gambling cases) that we have to develop because there are some actors who do not stand alone, but work together with uplines (recruiters)," said Teddy, Thursday, August 25, quoted from Antara.

He explained that the effort to trace the role of the upline was aimed at breaking the chain of online gambling networks in NTB.

"By breaking the chain, there will definitely be no more crimes like this," he added.

For the online gambling case that was revealed for a week in the NTB area, Teddy said that the suspect's overall role was only as a bookie collecting betting money.

"So, the online gambling that is meant here is not the one ordered directly to the site, but the one ordered through the dealer's cellphone (the suspect)," he said.

The police also cannot take firm action by blocking online gambling sites because they are in the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

"Indeed, blocking is not our authority, but we will investigate this issue in coordination with the relevant ministries," said Teddy.

The NTB Regional Police along with all ranks of the district/city police have succeeded in uncovering 31 cases of gambling in the past week.

Of the 31 gambling cases, the police named 41 suspects consisting of 37 men and 4 women. The police apply Article 303 of the Criminal Code on gambling which carries a penalty of 10 years in prison.

The evidence confiscated from the disclosure of the gambling case included cellular phones, digital calculators, ATM cards, passbooks, fair ball boards, carpets, ballpoint pens, wallets, bags, recap paper of dark toll numbers (togel), domino cards, and fair ball tables. (ballad).

Police Cooperate with PPATK

Previously, the National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo promised to cooperate with the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) in investigating the flow of funds from gambling syndicates. This step is to ensure whether or not its members are connected to the dark circle of gambling.

"Cooperation with PPATK is tracing existing accounts, all of which will be obtained after receiving reports from PPATK," said Sigit to reporters at the DPR building, Wednesday, August 24.

By cooperating with PPATK, all parties involved in gambling crimes will be punished more severely. Because, the article on the crime of money laundering (TPPU) will be applied.

Meanwhile, for the perpetrators who have now fled abroad after a series of disclosures of gambling cases, Sigit stated that he would recommend issuing a ban to a red notice.

"Then later we can investigate and then we will withdraw of course the perpetrators who are currently running away, and so on, we will issue a ban and red notice," said Sigit.