Amid the ongoing nationwide crackdown on illegal betting and financial crimes, Indonesia’s Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) is moving to block e-wallets suspected of fuelling online gambling — a step that could impact millions of active and dormant accounts as authorities ramp up efforts to stop the flow of illicit money.
PPATK chief Ivan Yustiavandana confirmed that in the first half of this year alone, online gambling deposits through e-wallets reached Rp1.6 trillion across 12.6 million transactions. He said, “We have handled many cases relating to e-wallets.”
Measures extend beyond conventional banking
Ivan emphasised that addressing e-wallet and fintech instances is different from dealing with dormant accounts in traditional banks. He said, “Handling fintech is different from conventional methods. If illicit funds enter e-wallets, we will make every effort to protect the affected parties.”
Previously, PPATK implemented a policy to block bank accounts inactive for three months. Earlier in July, its Public Relations Substantive Group Coordinator, M. Natsir Kongah, revealed over 140,000 dormant accounts, some inactive for more than 10 years, holding Rp428.61 billion had been frozen, many of which were exploited for illegal activities such as money laundering.
E-wallets and the gambling link
Banks reported 12,097 accounts and 7,577 e-wallets to PPATK in 2023 that were allegedly used for deposits into online gambling. Investigators discovered the size of the funds involved after they linked the transactions to five e-wallet providers later in 2024:
- PT Espay Debit Indonesia Koe (DANA): Rp5.37 trillion ($332 million), 5,243,370 transactions
- PT Visionet Internasional (OVO): Rp216.62 billion ($13.4 million), 836,095 transactions
- PT Dompet Anak Bangsa (GoPay): Rp89.24 billion ($5.5 million), 577,316 transactions
- PT Fintek Karya Nusantara (LinkAja): Rp65.45 billion ($4 million), 80,171 transactions
- PT Airpay International Indonesia (ShopeePay): Rp6.11 billion ($378,000), 33,069 transactions
Budi Arie said these accounts were often flagged when there were sudden large top-ups, with money coming in but no outgoing transactions.
Between July 2023 and May 2025, the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi) submitted 14,478 bank accounts and 2,188 e-wallet accounts for action by the Financial Services Authority (OJK) and Bank Indonesia (BI) over gambling links.
DANA’s 80% reduction in gambling transactions
E-wallet provider DANA, operated by PT Espay Debit Indonesia Koe, has reported an 80% drop in gambling-related activity thanks to predictive fraud detection and real-time transaction alerts.
“We are no longer reactive; we are predictive,” CEO and co-founder Vince Iswara said. “We continuously update our risk parameters and typology analysis to stay ahead of illegal patterns, particularly in online gambling.”
DANA’s Smart Friction feature alerts users when trying to send funds to flagged accounts. Since 2020, the company has reported around 39,000 gambling-linked sites and accounts and submitted data on hundreds of thousands of suspicious users to Komdigi.
Komdigi’s Director-General of Cyberspace Monitoring, Alexander Sabar, commended DANA’s measures, noting, “We laud the commitment and measures taken, resulting in an 80 percent decrease in online gambling transactions via DANA.”
Broader crackdown includes social aid purge
The e-wallet measures come amid a major review of Indonesia’s social assistance system. The Ministry of Social Affairs, in cooperation with PPATK, has removed over 600,000 welfare recipients after confirming links to online gambling. Another 375,000 names remain under review.
Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf said, “We requested verification from PPATK regarding the bank accounts of aid recipients. Out of the 9 million online gambling profiles, 600,000 were listed as social aid recipients.”
West Java topped the list of gambling-linked recipients in early 2025, followed by Central Java, East Java, and Jakarta. Dana was the most-used platform for these transactions.
Scale of the gambling economy
PPATK estimates Indonesia’s online gambling economy could reach Rp1,200 trillion ($73 billion) by year-end. Between 2017 and June 2025, Rp976.8 trillion moved through online gambling platforms in 709 million transactions, with Rp99.68 trillion recorded in the first half of 2025 alone.
PPATK has also reactivated 122 million dormant bank accounts previously frozen over suspected links to illegal activities after reviews confirmed no further action was needed. However, scrutiny remains on tens of thousands of accounts flagged for gambling.
Government calls for joint action
Ivan Yustiavandana urged cooperation between regulators and the private sector. He said, “We commend DANA’s proactive measures, which consistently report suspicious transactions and establish early detection through the Fraud Detection System.”
The government has called for enhanced identity checks, stricter Know Your Customer (KYC) enforcement, and active public participation in reporting irregularities through official channels such as the Cek Bansos app.
Next steps in the crackdown
Blocking e-wallets linked to gambling is the latest move by Indonesian authorities to protect the financial system, stop illegal online betting, and safeguard public money. With trillions of rupiah moving through illegal channels each year, regulators face growing pressure to ensure that fraud detection technology and stricter rules keep up with the evolving methods used by online gambling networks.
