From All Provinces, West Java Residents Are Most Diligent In Playing Online Gambling, Transactions Reach IDR 3.8 Trillion

Illustration of online gambling. (Pixabay)

JAKARTA - The head of the Online Gambling Eradication Task Force who is also the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Hadi Tjahjanto, revealed the demographics of online gambling players in Indonesia. The province with the most residents doing online gambling is West Java. "The first is the most above West Java, West Java is the culprit 535,644, and the transaction value is 3.8 trillion West Java," Hadi said at a press conference at the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture's Office, Tuesday, June 25. The province with the second most players is DKI Jakarta with 238,568 online gambling players. Transactions reached Rp2.3 trillion. Third, Central Java with 201,963 online gambling players and transactions reaching Rp1.3 trillion, then East Java with 135,227 players with transactions of Rp1,051 trillion, and Banten with 150,302 players and transactions reaching Rp1.022 trillion. Meanwhile, 80 percent of online gambling players are from the middle to lower class. With the transaction value each game ranging from Rp. 10,000 to Rp. 100,000. Hadi continued, the government continues to move in preventing and eradicating online gambling in Indonesia. Prevention is carried out together with the leaders, the top administrators of religious institutions, the general chairmen, the unity of teachers, forums, and the chancellor assembly. "We will carry out an extensive campaign of public awareness, namely by educating related to the risk of online gambling addiction, through formal and non-formal schools," explained Hadi. Next is the involvement of civil servants from ministries/agencies, Babinsa, Bhabinkamtibmas, PKK mothers, to Karang Taruna in conducting socialization and education regarding the impact of online gambling.

"And of course, it is by strengthening the role of the family so that there is communication between parents and their children. If we see that 2 percent are children under the age of 10. This is really needed by the role of the family to be able to provide that education," explained Hadi.