Indonesian authorities are battling illegal online gambling in Jakarta and the neighboring cities. Nine men have been arrested recently with a total of $103,600 in revenues from betting sites run in Jakarta and Surakarta. The perpetrators face up to ten years in prison.
The group has been running two illegal gambling sites since 2010 with a regular daily income of $3,000 to $5,000. It is worth noticing that the minimum salary in Indonesia is about $100 per month. Based on that, it could be approximated that the sites averaged around 30 to 50 gamblers per day.
Jakarta’s police spokesman, Senior Commissioner Rikwanto, reported that
The police traced the account used and found that funds had been transferred to an account in Surakarta […] In Surakarta, the suspects could reap up to Rp 300 million a day from the business.
The local police have started checking bank accounts for suspicious transactions in large amounts. Some 150 accounts have been frozen for that reason.
Up until now, the websites ibcbet.com and sbobet.com have been used for illegal betting. Both sites were shut down and taken under the Indonesian Communications and Information Ministry’s control.