Indonesia Detains 321 Foreign Nationals Over Illegal Online Betting Network

Indonesian police have arrested 321 foreign nationals in one of the country’s biggest crackdowns on illegal online gambling operations.

Authorities said the suspects were detained during a raid on a commercial building in Central Jakarta that was allegedly being used as a hub for dozens of online gambling websites targeting users outside Indonesia.

According to Indonesian police, the majority of those arrested were Vietnamese nationals. The suspects also included citizens from China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Cambodia. Police identified 228 of the suspects as Vietnamese and 57 as Chinese nationals.

Brigadier General Wira Satya Triputra, director of general crimes at Indonesia’s National Criminal Investigation Agency, said investigators discovered that the operation had been running for about two months before the raid. Authorities said the syndicate was highly organised, with workers assigned to customer service, telemarketing and financial management roles.

Police also seized computers, mobile phones, passports and digital systems believed to have been used to run more than 70 gambling websites. Officials said many of the suspects entered Indonesia using short-term visas and later overstayed.

Indonesia strictly bans gambling under its laws and has intensified efforts in recent years to tackle online betting networks and cybercrime syndicates operating across Southeast Asia. Authorities said 275 of those arrested could face charges under Indonesia’s gambling laws, which carry prison sentences of up to nine years.

Interpol officials in Indonesia also warned that transnational gambling syndicates are increasingly relocating operations from countries such as Cambodia and Myanmar to Indonesia as authorities tighten enforcement in other parts of the region.