The dynamics of the debate surrounding online gambling in Indonesia are intensifying with the development of technology and the widespread access to the internet.
Some support the existence of online gambling because it has the potential for national revenue and job creation. In contrast, others oppose it due to concerns about social and moral impacts and material losses.
The UGM Center for Digital Society (CfDS) seeks to delve deeper into the cross-sectional views through research titled “The Polemics of Online Gambling in Indonesia.”
This study was conducted by the CfDS research team, consisting of M. Perdana Sasmita-Jati Karim as the research coordinator and Amelinda Pandu Kusumaningtyas as the research officer, along with the CfDS data scientists Falah Muhammad, Irbah Asfarina, and Muhammad Yusuf Daffa Izzalhaqqi.
In examining the polemics of online gambling in Indonesia, CfDS used a holistic data collection method. The collection took place from January 2022 to November 2023.
In their study, CfDS performed data scraping on social media platform X and prominent news sites such as detik.com, tribunnews.com, kompas.com, cnbcindonesia.com, and cnnindonesia.com.
Data collection focused on the keywords “judi online” (online gambling) and “judol.” The CfDS team also conducted a public sentiment survey to deepen the public’s basic understanding of online gambling.
The sentiment survey included information sources, user experiences, wins/losses, and an understanding of the risk of addiction.
“We analyzed 17,250 posts on X and 1,439 articles from digital media outlets. Discussions about online gambling in Indonesia began to trend in March 2023 and heated up even more until October 2023,” said Karim on Thursday (November 30).
Falah Muhammad added that the first peak of public discourse on online gambling in Indonesia occurred after the arrest of one of the online gambling bosses and his network in the Cemara Asri complex, Deli Serdang, in 2022.
Shortly after this event, there was a second peak where many people began talking about the voices of several top Indonesian artists, notably Wulan Guritno, Sule, and Yuki Kato, promoting online gambling.
“Several national media actively covered discussions about online gambling in Indonesia. For example, Detik, with 750 published articles, and CNN Indonesia, with 268 published articles,” said Muhammad.
CfDS found a relatively negative and skeptical public sentiment toward online gambling. Of 17,250 posts on X analyzed by CfDS, 13,788 posts had a negative sentiment. The sentiment of news headlines discussing online gambling in digital media was not much different, with 1,329 negative sentiment headlines out of 1,439.
Some keywords frequently mentioned by the public, both on X and digital media, include “Apin BK,” “Wulan Guritno,” “Bos Apin,” “main judol” (playing online gambling), “judol pinjol” (online gambling–loans), “@ccicpolri @divhumaspolri,” “judol @partaisocmed,” and others.
“It’s interesting to note that the phenomenon of online gambling is also closely linked to the trend of online loans (pinjol) in Indonesia, as there appears to be a certain correlation between the two phenomena,” explained Irbah Asfarina.
Although the majority is affected by negative comments, Muhammad Izzalhaqqi added that the trend of online gambling in Indonesia still elicits positive reactions from several segments.
CfDS found several digital media article headlines about online gambling with positive sentiment, such as “Believe it! Binary Option is the Same as Online Gambling. Here’s the Proof” and “Luxury Items for a Birthday Gift from Online Gambling Boss Apin BK,” and so on.
From the dynamics of the debate surrounding online gambling in Indonesia, the CfDS research team agrees that there are negative and positive opinions within the public regarding the widespread activities of online gambling in Indonesia.
“Some discuss how profitable it is to be an online gambling player, some insist that online gambling should be eradicated, some are very concerned about the potential negative impacts, and there are various reactions from the public,” Izzalhaqqi said.
In facing the complexity of the online gambling phenomenon, CfDS research acknowledges the diverse views in society. There are pros and cons regarding the economic, social, and moral impacts of online gambling.
Therefore, collaboration between the government and stakeholders is necessary to oversee and control online gambling activities, to protect the public, and to prevent potential harm.
Author: Agung Nugroho
Image: freepik.com