The Increasing Risks of Online Gaming

In East Java, a boy and his older brother stole motorbikes; in West Sumatra, an elderly man broke into a shoe store to steal shoes; in Central Java, a village head embezzled village funds; and in West Java, a soldier committed suicide by hanging. All of these incidents were reportedly due to online gaming addictions.

Both online and offline gaming are crimes punishable by imprisonment in Indonesia, as is organizing gambling events. However, with increased access to technology and smart devices, online gaming has become deeply ingrained in Indonesian society.

Lawmakers, civil servants, police, and even those responsible for protecting citizens are just as susceptible to online gaming as the general public. The Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) revealed that over 1,000 national and regional legislators, including 82 House of Representatives lawmakers, had been involved in online gaming. The anti-money laundering agency identified 63,000 transactions involving public officials, with some deposits ranging from hundreds of millions to billions of rupiah.

A newly established online gaming task force reported that an undisclosed number of civil servants, National Police, and Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel had engaged in online gaming.

Online gaming is highly addictive, yet many are unaware of its severe psychological and financial consequences. These gaming websites often feature enticing graphics, making them appear similar to other games. They offer free trials and display QR-code payment services or pay-later facilities. Algorithms that initially allow players to win draw in new users, but once hooked, players tend to lose more as they continue.

Some individuals become so addicted that they exhaust their funds and turn to online loans. According to the task force, children under 10 and those aged 10 to 20 comprise around 13% of the roughly 4 million online gamers. People aged 30 to 50 make up the largest share at about 40%, followed by those over 50 at 33%, and those aged 20 to 30 at around 13%.

Online gaming has spread to rural areas across Indonesia’s 38 provinces. Task force data indicates that West Java has the highest number of online gamers, followed by Jakarta, Central Java, East Java, and Banten.

The government has warned civil servants, regional heads, and police officers of potential disciplinary actions for gambling. An extensive campaign focused on educating the public about the dangers of gaming is also being planned, involving collaboration with public figures, religious leaders, and local communities. In the past six months, the government has blocked over a million online gaming sites. However, new sites continually emerge, often using overseas servers in places like Cambodia and the Philippines, making it difficult for authorities in Jakarta to take them down.

The Communications and Information Ministry estimates that the number of online gaming websites in Indonesia grows by 10,000 daily. Thus, blocking websites is less effective than targeting bookies and operators, removing advertisements, and restricting payment gateways.

Original Story by: The Star