Commission III Questions PPATK's Claim That Online Gambling in Indonesia Has Declined | Tirto Recap

The Head of Indonesia's Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK), Ivan Yustiavandana, claimed that online gambling transactions in Indonesia decreased in 2025. This statement was delivered during a working meeting with Commission III of the House of Representatives (DPR RI) at the Parliamentary Complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Tuesday (3/2/2026).

“The year 2025 marks a new milestone and the first time Indonesia has succeeded in suppressing online gambling-related transactions,” said Ivan.

However, the statement drew scrutiny from Wayan Sudirta, a member of Commission III of the DPR RI from the PDI Perjuangan faction. He noted an anomaly between global trends and the domestic data presented by PPATK.

Wayan questioned whether the decline in transactions reflects successful efforts to tackle online gambling or is instead due to changes in transaction methods that are increasingly difficult to track. He also raised the possibility of PPATK’s limited resources in monitoring online gambling activities.

“If online gambling is on the rise globally, but PPATK’s data shows a decline in Indonesia, this requires a transparent explanation. Is there indeed a decline, are there tracking challenges, or are there resource limitations?” he said.

Similarly, Mangihut Sinaga, another member of Commission III, highlighted the 20 percent decline in online gambling transactions. He questioned whether this decrease was a result of account blocking or a shift by perpetrators to other, harder-to-track transaction methods, such as cryptocurrencies.

“Regarding the approximately 20 percent decline in online gambling funds, is this truly due to account blocking, or have the perpetrators shifted to other transaction methods that are difficult to trace, such as crypto?” said Mangihut.

Writer/Video Editor: Rahma Nayali
Producer: Indana Zulfa
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