Indonesia blocks 30,000 bank accounts linked to online gambling

Amid Indonesia’s ongoing crackdown on illegal online gambling, the Financial Services Authority (OJK) has instructed banks to block more than 30,000 accounts suspected of being used for betting-related transactions, as regulators seek to protect the integrity of the financial system.

Issuing a statement on the matter, OJK’s Chief Banking Supervisor Dian Ediana Rae said, “From September 2023 to December 2025, OJK ordered banks to block more than 30,000 accounts indicated to be linked to online gambling.”

The directive forms part of a broader, multi-agency campaign aimed at curbing online gambling activity, which regulators say poses risks to financial stability, household finances and the wider economy.

Banks deploy web crawling and enhanced monitoring tools

In addition to complying with account-blocking directives, banks have been instructed to play a more active role in identifying gambling-related transactions. Rae said financial institutions are carrying out web crawling to detect accounts used on online gambling platforms.

The results of these investigations are coordinated with the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs for further enforcement action, including content takedowns and digital platform monitoring.

Rae added that OJK continues to urge banks to strengthen early detection systems to curb online gambling transactions. This includes improving transaction monitoring frameworks and enhancing coordination with relevant authorities, as gambling operators increasingly diversify their payment methods.

“Online gambling perpetrators no longer rely solely on bank accounts, but also use other payment instruments, including e-wallets, to carry out transactions,” he said.

In response to these evolving tactics, OJK has instructed banks to expand their use of information technology, including cyber patrols of customer accounts and the refinement of alert parameters to enable earlier detection of gambling-related transaction patterns.

Account blocks rise to more than 31,000

In early January, OJK stepped up its action by asking banks to block 31,382 accounts suspected of being linked to illegal online gambling, an increase from the 30,392 accounts earlier identified using data from the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs.

Speaking at an OJK press conference on 9 January, Rae said banks had been instructed not only to block the identified accounts but also to carry out further investigations into how they were used.

Alongside freezing the 31,382 accounts, banks were ordered to close any other accounts linked to the same National Identification Number (NIK). Financial institutions were also directed to apply enhanced due diligence (EDD) measures to prevent online gambling networks from re-entering the financial system through new accounts or intermediaries.

“OJK has asked banks to block approximately 31,382 accounts, up from the 30,392 accounts previously submitted by the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology,” Rae said.

OJK said the steps are intended to enhance banks’ capacity to spot suspicious transactions over time and stop the flow of funds linked to illegal gambling.

Enforcement escalated through 2025

The latest instructions build on a series of actions taken throughout 2025. In October, OJK asked banks to block 27,395 accounts suspected of being used for online gambling, up from 25,912 accounts the previous month.

Those decisions were based on information from the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs as well as OJK’s supervisory analysis. Banks were again instructed to close accounts linked to the same NIKs and to strengthen checks on unusual transaction patterns.

Digital enforcement was also intensified during the period. Between 20 October 2024 and 16 September 2025, the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs took down more than 2.8 million pieces of harmful online content, including 2.1 million items linked directly to online gambling, mainly from websites, file-sharing platforms and major social media services.

PPATK data show a decline in gambling turnover

Data from the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) indicate that the measures are having an effect. Through the third quarter of 2025, online gambling turnover stood at Rp155 trillion (around USD9.24 billion), representing a 57 percent decline from 2024.

Separate PPATK figures released in January 2026 showed that total online gambling deposits reached Rp36 trillion (USD2.3 billion) in 2025, down from Rp51 trillion (USD3.3 billion) the previous year. The data also showed a shift in payment behaviour, with players moving away from traditional bank transfers and e-wallets.

QRIS and cryptocurrency complicate enforcement

According to PPATK, the Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS) emerged as the dominant deposit channel for online gambling in 2025. Deputy of Analysis and Examination at PPATK Danang Tri Hartono said deposits that were previously channelled through bank accounts or e-wallets are now increasingly processed via QRIS.

“There has been a shift in deposits, which were previously mainly through bank accounts or e-wallets, and now many deposits are made using QRIS,” Danang said on 7 January.

PPATK said funds deposited through QRIS are often quickly converted into cryptocurrency, allowing money to be moved rapidly between accounts. It also found that online gambling operators are increasingly splitting deposit and withdrawal processes, using QRIS for deposits while relying on crypto-based channels for withdrawals.

“Now there is a separation between accounts and withdrawals through crypto. This complicates the tracing process conducted by PPATK and the future investigators,” Danang said.

Banking sector stability maintained

Despite the tighter controls on gambling-related transactions, OJK said Indonesia’s banking sector remained stable in 2025. Credit growth stood at 7.74 percent year-on-year in November, with total outstanding credit of Rp8,314.48 trillion (around US$495 billion).

Investment loans recorded the strongest growth at 17.98 percent, while consumer loans grew 6.67 percent and working capital loans rose 2.04 percent. Third-party funds increased by 12.03 percent year-on-year to Rp9,899 trillion (approximately USD590 billion), with liquidity and capital adequacy ratios remaining well above regulatory thresholds.

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