Indonesia charges 287 foreign nationals in major online gambling bust

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian National Police's Criminal Investigation Agency has named 287 foreign nationals as suspects in an international online gambling network operating out of the Hayam Wuruk Plaza Tower in Jakarta.

The National Police's Director of General Crimes, Brigadier General Wira Satya Triputra, on Friday informed that investigators had previously arrested 321 foreign nationals and one Indonesian citizen to solve the case.

After intensive investigations supported by digital forensic and financial analysis, investigators designated 287 foreign nationals as suspects.

He detailed the suspects as 76 Chinese nationals, three Laotian nationals, two Malaysian nationals, 15 Myanmar nationals, six Thai nationals, and 185 Vietnamese nationals.

"Of the 321 foreign nationals apprehended, we have named 287 as suspects. We are currently investigating the involvement of the remaining 34 individuals," Triputra conveyed.

He explained that these hundreds of suspects played varying roles in running the online gambling operation.

The police detailed that 175 people acted as customer service representatives, 10 as programmers, 27 as marketing administrators, 22 as finance administrators, nine as trainees who had already been trained to operate online gambling sites, and 44 as operational support staff.

In addition, the police also named four Indonesians as suspects for their role in the online gambling network.

"Authorities believe the operation functioned as a structured network responsible for managing the platform, serving users, marketing the services, and handling financial transactions," Triputra disclosed.

According to him, investigators are reviewing witness statements and digital forensic evidence to identify the network's leaders or masterminds.

"We will conduct cross-checks, including through digital analysis. Based on the information we have obtained so far, they have only claimed to be employees," he added.

On May 7, 2026, the Directorate of General Crimes of the National Police's Criminal Investigation Agency uncovered the international online gambling network operating from an office in Jakarta's Hayam Wuruk area.

The suspects have been charged under Article 426 and/or Article 607 in conjunction with Articles 20 and/or 21 of Law No. 1 of 2023 on the Criminal Code (KUHP), as well as Law No. 1 of 2026 concerning Criminal Adjustments.

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Translator: Nadia Putri Rahmani, Resinta Sulistiyandari

Editor: M Razi Rahman

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