The Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) has revealed that more than half a million recipients of government social assistance have been involved in online gambling activities, raising public concern.
Records show that, in 2024 alone, a total of 571,410 national identification numbers (NIK) belonging to social aid recipients made deposits to online gambling platforms, amounting to IDR 957 billion across 7.5 transactions per user on average.
UGM sociologist Dr. Andreas Budi Widyanta believes that the rise of online gambling among social aid recipients should not lead to an oversimplified blame placed on individuals. He claims that these recipients are, in fact, victims caught in a cycle of structural violence.
“This is not merely a matter of individual morality, but rather a reflection of the state’s failure to provide protection and digital literacy to its citizens,” he stated at the UGM campus on Thursday (Jul. 10).
Dr. Widyanta explained that the involvement of impoverished citizens in online gambling must be understood in the context of two major structural issues: inaccurate social assistance data and inadequate digital preparedness.
According to him, data on social aid recipients is often unreliable and subject to political manipulation, especially in the lead-up to elections. At the same time, many citizens lack sufficient digital literacy, making them vulnerable to online gambling applications.
“Social assistance recipients are only a small fraction of the population caught up in online gambling. This is a digital society phenomenon that has never been properly addressed through education. The state is absent in providing awareness,” he said.
Moreover, he went on to highlight the role of the state, which he described as negligent and even complicit through inaction. Dr. Widyanta strongly criticized Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital for failing to carry out its mandate to protect the public from online gambling practices. He emphasized that online gambling platforms operating in Indonesia are deeply entangled with political and economic interests.
“The state is not only allowing but in many ways facilitating the spread of online gambling, which clearly harms the people. The state should be protecting, not exploiting,” he asserted.
The consequences, he said, are far-reaching. Dr. Widyanta pointed to a spiral of violence that begins with online gambling, progresses into digital debt through loan platforms, and ultimately drives individuals to extreme measures, such as selling assets or engaging in violence to repay their debts. In response, he stressed that solutions must go beyond mere law enforcement.
He argued that the government must enforce the law firmly against those who abuse power, while also socially and economically empowering communities so they are not simply passive recipients of aid, but can become self-reliant.
“Social assistance should not be a tool to create dependency. There must be mentoring and empowerment so that communities can rise, build businesses, and break free from cycles of poverty and dependency,” he explained.
He concluded by emphasizing that the poor should not be blamed as the main perpetrators of this issue, but recognized as victims of a system that fails to protect them.
“Do not blame them. It is the state, which has failed in its duty to protect, that must be held accountable,” he said.
Author: Rafif Rusmana
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Bendina Morezky
Illustration : Alodokter