There were 1,037 employees in the provincial administration who were suspected of taking part in online gambling activities, North Sumatra Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) legislation enforcement head Julianus Bangun told reporters on Tuesday.

Julianus said the data was acquired from the North Sumatra Regional Employee Agency (BKD). He said the Satpol PP received the data after Governor Bobby Nasution created a new task to eradicate online gambling among provincial employees.

He added that his agency had coordinated with the BKD and the Financial Transaction Reports Analysis Center (PPATK) for further follow-up.

“Questionings of civil servants who are actively conducting online gambling transactions are currently ongoing at the BKD,” he said.

Julianus said civil servants who are involved in online gambling will be punished according to existing law and employment regulations. He said this was part of the North Sumatra provincial administration’s commitment to create a bureaucracy that is clean, disciplined and free from deviant activities, including online gambling.

Meanwhile, North Sumatra Inspector Sulaiman Harahap said that employees of almost all agencies and offices in the provincial administration were affiliated with online gambling, including those in the provincial inspectorate.

He said that the indication was not limited only to staffers but also structural officials, as two employees and an official at the North Sumatra Inspectorate had been conducting transactions at online gambling sites on a regular basis.

“We also have our own [inspectorate] officials who are involved [in online gambling],” he said.

“Overall, there are many civil servant bank accounts that are connected to gambling sites.”

Sulaiman said the findings came from an audit conducted by the PPATK in 2024 and that the report had been submitted to the North Sumatra BKD. He added that a follow-up inspection would be conducted in 2026 to check whether online gambling is still rife among civil servants.

“If there are still employees [involved in online gambling], we will take strict actions,” he said.

He said the provincial administration had counseled employees already involved in online gambling.

Sulaiman added that the number of online gambling transactions among the North Sumatra provincial administration’s employees is still relatively small, without giving an exact figure. (nvn)