Indonesia blocked 3.7 million gambling websites since October 2024, with 38,000 bank accounts suspended

Indonesia’s Ministry of Communications and Digital says it has escalated its crackdown on illegal gambling, blocking 3.7 million websites since October 2024 and suspending over 38,000 bank accounts suspected of supporting gambling activity. For PSPs and banks, the message is blunt: the enforcement net is no longer limited to domains, and payment rails are now clearly part of the target set.

1. Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid disclosed the figures at the OJ Banking Forum 2026, with the data covering activity through July 12, 2026. The ministry said the blocked sites included affiliates, sportsbooks, and casinos.
2. Public reporting has become a major input into the enforcement effort. The government’s dedicated platform has received reports that led to at least 156,000 accounts being flagged for suspected gambling activity.
3. Indonesia bans gambling in full, but the enforcement picture is broader than just domain blocking. The ministry also said 85,500 mobile numbers have been flagged as potentially used in scamming operations, separate from gambling.
4. Police said 1,164 suspected individuals were arrested in 2026 alone in connection with illegal gambling operations, and $105 million was seized. In early July, Indonesia also deported 92 Chinese nationals linked to an illegal gambling syndicate that operated scams and online gaming.
5. The ministry said it had reported in May that at least 200,000 children had been exposed to online gambling, which shows how widely the issue has penetrated the market despite the scale of blocking and arrests.

For payment providers, the practical takeaway is that Indonesia is not treating illegal gambling as a pure content problem. Website blocks, bank account suspensions, account flags, and criminal enforcement are being run in parallel, which is exactly the kind of setup that can turn into rapid merchant exits, enhanced monitoring, and cleaner cutoff lists from local partners.