Indonesian police arrested a man identified as TK in Salido District, West Sumatra, on suspicion of taking customers’ money to place bets on an illegal site and selling handwritten lottery tickets. Police said they found tickets, cash and a betting app on his phone; he was taken for questioning.
The arrest signals enforcement against unlicensed lottery betting and agents serving customers through offshore sites.
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Indonesia’s National Police said they had intensified enforcement against illegal online betting ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including field operations and closer coordination with state broadcaster TVRI. Police spokesperson Trunoyudo Wisnu Andiko said the effort anticipates increased football betting during the tournament; the report also reports that more than one million gambling-related websites were blocked over 18 months.
Indonesian police detained more than 300 foreign nationals in Jakarta over suspected involvement in an online gambling network, the police director of general crimes said. Authorities estimate the group ran more than 70 betting platforms; more than 270 people have been formally charged with illegal gambling, money laundering and immigration offences.
Indonesia’s National Police said they are investigating 21 illegal online gambling sites and a network of 17 fictitious companies used to process or launder payments. Police reported five arrests and said they had frozen and seized funds worth more than $3.5m; the investigation is continuing, with at least one suspect still at large.
Indonesia’s police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo said students make up the largest group of online casino players, with employees next and small-business owners after them. He also said many under-18s gamble online and called for schools and government bodies to help address the issue. Separately, the Financial Services Authority said it had blocked more than 32,000 accounts linked to online gambling and seized over $36 million.
It was reported that Indonesia’s PPATK said residents placed more than six million bets worth around $57m during the World Cup. Officials said the betting continued despite enforcement against illegal online gambling.