Indonesia has frozen around USD 9.5 million (Rp 154.3 billion) in 811 bank accounts linked to illegal online gambling networks, according to a police statement on 27 August 2025.

The freeze was done after a tip from the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK), the anti-money laundering agency. Investigators believe these funds were used to place bets or profits from online gambling.

This is following previous enforcement, where OJK instructed banks to block over 17,000 gambling accounts and PPATK suspended over 28,000 accounts in 2024 that were dormant or illegally traded.

Officials said, illegal gambling affects low-income households the most, many of whom are driven into deeper debt and financial instability. At the same time, this move shows Indonesia’s commitment to maintain its financial credibility after being removed from the FATF grey list.

Law enforcement said this is not the end of the crackdown, more accounts will be targeted in the next operation. Meanwhile, discussions are ongoing whether Indonesia should allow regulated gambling for certain groups, such as tourists, although so far the proposal has been rejected.

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