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Govt to cap phone credit transfers, ban free VPN in anti-gambling drive
In its latest bid to clamp down nationwide on the scourge of online gambling, the government plans to put a daily cap on mobile phone credit transfers and block access to free VPN services that it says are enabling the illicit practice.
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A person holds up a mobile phone showing advertisements for online gambling platforms on June 19, 2024 in Jakarta. (Antara/Aprillio Akbar)
T
he government is planning to impose a daily transfer limit on mobile phone credits and ban access to free virtual private network (VPN) services in its bid to combat unchecked online gambling.
Communications and Information Minister Budi Arie Setiadi said a number of payment methods, including banking transactions, e-wallet and phone credit transfers enabled online gambling.
The ministry had uncovered suspiciously large amounts of daily phone credit transfers thought to be linked to gambling transactions, leading to its decision.
“The communications ministry has decided to cap phone credit transfers to Rp 1 million [US$61] per day. If it is more than that, we have reasons to suspect that phone users [making large transfers] are involved in online gambling,” the minister told a press briefing on Thursday.
“It doesn’t make sense. Who would need Rp 100 million, Rp 2 billion for daily calls?” he added.
The government has vowed to crack down on online gambling in recent months and has banned access to several such websites.
Though illegal, official data showed that 3 million Indonesians gambled online last year and spent an estimated $20 billion, or around 1.5 percent of Indonesia’s GDP.
