EN.malanginspirasi.com – House of Representatives Speaker Puan Maharani has called for heightened anticipation and stricter oversight to prevent Indonesia from being used as a base or transit point for international online gambling networks.
Speaking to reporters after a plenary session at the DPR building in Senayan, Jakarta, on Tuesday, May 12, 2026.
Puan emphasized the importance of proactive measures following a significant police operation in West Jakarta.
“We must anticipate and ensure that no parties turn Indonesia into a stopover or primary base for online gambling. This must not happen,” Puan said firmly.
Her statement came in response to a police raid on an online gambling headquarters located on Jalan Hayam Wuruk in West Jakarta. Authorities arrested 321 individuals, consisting of 320 foreign nationals (WNA) and one Indonesian citizen (WNI). The Indonesian suspect had previously worked at a similar operation in Cambodia.
According to police, the suspects were actively operating gambling websites from a rented floor in the building. They had been running the operation for approximately two months. Most of the foreign nationals entered Indonesia on tourist visas that had overstayed and lacked proper work permits.
Puan expressed full support for the firm action taken by the National Police (Polri). She described the case as evidence of a new pattern in transnational digital crime that is increasingly exploiting Indonesian territory as an operational base.
“That is why supervision and anticipation must be carried out regularly. This is important so the problem does not spread further,” she added.
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Wake-Up Call
The DPR Speaker views the bust as a serious wake-up call regarding the evolving and more complex nature of digital threats. She noted that online gambling is no longer merely a conventional gambling offense but now touches on aspects of national digital security and the vulnerability of Indonesia’s cyberspace governance.
“When international networks can establish operational bases inside the country with support from local actors, Indonesia’s digital space becomes increasingly vulnerable to broader illegal activities,” Puan explained.
She urged the government and law enforcement agencies to strengthen national digital sovereignty through better monitoring of the digital ecosystem, cyber network movements, and enhanced international coordination.
“This revelation must become a momentum to ensure that Indonesia’s digital space does not turn into a breeding ground for international crime networks that ultimately exploit Indonesian society itself,” Puan Maharani concluded.
