Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — At least five e-wallet companies in Indonesia have been hit with stern warnings after being detected facilitating transactions related to online gambling, according to the Communications and Information Minister Budi Arie Setiadi. The Minister stressed that the government would take strict action against any companies that continue to support such illegal activities.
“There are five companies that are facilitating online gambling. We will take firm action if they persist,” said Budi in a statement released on Sunday, as reported by CNBC Indonesia on October 13.
Data from the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK), which was shared with the Ministry of Communications and Information (Kominfo), revealed that the transactions processed by these five digital wallets reached into the trillions of rupiah. The companies involved include some of the most widely used e-wallet providers in Indonesia: PT Espay Debit Indonesia Koe (DANA), PT Visionet Internasional (OVO), PT Dompet Anak Bangsa (GoPay), PT Fintek Karya Nusantara (LinkAja), and PT Airpay International Indonesia.
Espay (DANA) was found to be the platform with the highest transaction volume, facilitating approximately Rp 5.4 trillion (around $340 million) across 5.7 million transactions linked to online gambling.
The following is a list of e-wallets involved in facilitating online gambling transactions:
- PT Espay Debit Indonesia Koe (DANA): Rp 5,371,936,767,944 across 5,724,337 transactions
- PT Visionet Internasional (OVO): Rp 216,620,290,539 across 836,095 transactions
- PT Dompet Anak Bangsa (GoPay): Rp 89,240,919,624 across 577,316 transactions
- PT Fintek Karya Nusantara (LinkAja): Rp 65,450,310,125 across 80,171 transactions
- Airpay International Indonesia: Rp 6,114,203,815 across 33,069 transactions
Minister Budi emphasized that cracking down on online gambling remains a top priority for the government and will continue under future administrations. “There is no doubt that online gambling is a form of fraud that harms people, especially those from lower-income groups. If left unchecked, it could severely erode the national economy,” he explained.
Since taking office nearly a year and a half ago, Minister Setiadi has spearheaded efforts to curb online gambling in Indonesia. As of October 8, Kominfo had blocked access to 3.7 million gambling websites. The ministry has also taken swift action against an influencer on social media who promoted online gambling websites.
“Cyber patrols to monitor and counter online gambling activities, including promotional content, are ongoing,” said Budi.
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The minister further explained that suspicions of e-wallet involvement in online gambling arose when there was a sudden surge in balance top-ups on these platforms. Notably, these accounts showed only incoming transactions, with no outgoing transactions being recorded.
“The main target for e-wallet account suspensions will be the online gambling operators. Additionally, we will focus on cutting off the flow of funds from these operators to online gamblers,” Setiadi added.
To prevent further misuse of digital wallets, Minister Setiadi stressed the importance of proper user identification through electronic Know Your Customer (eKYC) verification processes, in line with data protection regulations.
“Users must be verified when opening an e-wallet account to prevent criminals from exploiting the platform,” Setiadi urged.
The government’s firm stance against online gambling aims to protect the public and preserve the integrity of the national economy, signaling that regulatory oversight will remain strong in this sector.
(Raidi/Agung)
