Indonesia Orders Banks to Freeze 36,191 Gambling-Linked Accounts

Key Points

• The Financial Services Authority in Indonesia instructed banks on 7 July 2026 to freeze 36,191 accounts used to facilitate illegal online gambling, an increase of 2,355 accounts compared to the number of accounts identified in April 2026, using the information provided by the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs.
• Banks have been asked to block all such accounts that are related to the same National Identification Number as the individual whose account has been blocked and apply web crawling technologies, AI and behavioural transactions analysis to detect gambling payments.
• In the first half of 2026 in Indonesia, there were 718 illegal gambling cases detected, 1,164 people arrested, and IDR1.75 trillion ($107 million) was confiscated along with 278,000 gambling content blocks.

When Indonesia’s Financial Services Authority moved against illegal online gambling on 7 July 2026, it did not add to another list of blocked websites. Banks received orders to conduct enhanced due diligence or freeze approximately 36,191 accounts suspected of processing illegal gambling transactions, up by 2,355 from the regulator’s April 2026 count. The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs had identified the accounts, handing the data to the OJK to trigger the directive.

At a press conference on 8 July, Dian Ediana Rae, the OJK’s chief executive for banking supervision, put the reasoning plainly. “To combat online gambling, which has had a widespread impact on the economy and financial sector, the OJK has requested banks to conduct enhanced due diligence (EDD) and/or block approximately 36,191 accounts suspected of being involved in online gambling activities,” she said. The 36,191 figure is not a ceiling; it is a floor.

Banks Ordered to Close Accounts Linked by National ID

Every account tied to the same National Identification Numbers as flagged individuals must now be identified and closed, not just the account that triggered the original flag. Monitoring requirements have been tightened too, with banks expected to watch customer profiles and transaction flows more closely than before, reporting unusual patterns as they emerge rather than in retrospect. The OJK said the measures are part of its ongoing efforts to keep the banking system from being used for activities that could destabilise the financial sector.

KYC Requirements Push into Surveillance Territory

Know Your Customer checks are being tightened across the board, and anti-money laundering controls must follow at the same pace. Banks have been given formal authority to deploy web-crawling tools and conduct cyber patrols across gambling websites and social media platforms, picking up newly created payment accounts before they become part of an active gambling network. Beyond that, behaviour-based transaction analysis and artificial intelligence have been brought in as the next detection layer, with cross-border transactions placed under particular scrutiny as regulators try to intercept gambling funds before they leave the country.

Account Freeze Count Climbs Without a Break Since 2024

OJK started with 17,026 accounts blocked during the campaign’s early phase. By January 2026 that number had crossed 30,000; April put the cumulative total at 33,252 since 2024; and the July 2026 directive raised it again to 36,191. Not one reporting interval has shown a reduction, and the gap between updates has been shrinking rather than widening. Running alongside OJK’s action, the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre froze over 28,000 bank accounts in May 2025 alone, after investigators discovered many had been purchased and traded as mule accounts to move money for illegal gambling operators.

Dormant Accounts and E-Wallets Pulled into the Net

Criminal networks had worked out a gap in the system: route small-value gambling transactions through dormant bank accounts, since inactive accounts rarely flag automated monitoring tools. PPATK responded by temporarily suspending thousands of dormant accounts across the sector. The pivot by some operators toward e-wallets and digital payment platforms has also drawn a response; those channels now carry the same regulatory scrutiny that traditional bank accounts have faced since the crackdown began.

718 Cases, 1,164 Arrests, IDR1.75 Trillion Seized in First Half of 2026

Account freezes are one part of a considerably larger enforcement landscape. The National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo made a statement on 1 July regarding how in the first six months of 2026, 718 cases of online gambling were investigated, 1,164 suspects were arrested, and a total of IDR 1.75 trillion ($107 million) worth of assets were confiscated. According to the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs, 278,000 gambling contents have been pulled down in the same period. The international gang had its own business carried out through 145 gambling websites and domain names, which led to the detention of 322 foreigners and 291 suspects.

The turnover in online gambling services in Indonesia in 2025 saw a decrease of 20 per cent, totalling Rp286.84 trillion ($17.6 billion). The participation statistics paint a different picture; there were 422.1 million transactions of gambling, and 12.3 million individuals deposited money through banking institutions and QRIS. The drop in value has not translated into a drop in reach.

No Licence, No Quarter — Indonesia’s Position on Gambling

Indonesia does not regulate gambling. It bans it. The Criminal Code, through Articles 303 and 303 bis, and Law No. 7 of 1974 on Gambling Control together form the country’s legal prohibition, while the ITE Law updated in 2024 carries penalties of up to 10 years in prison for distributing or facilitating gambling content online. There are no licensed operators, no online market to tax, and no path to regulatory status. Between January and March 2026, six rural banks lost their licences for falling short of enforcement requirements.

Expert Analysis

Website blocks were never going to hold a crackdown together. The growth from 17,026 frozen accounts to 36,191 in two years, in combination with the enforcement of rules at the NIK level and targeting of inactive accounts, points to an agency that has ceased being reactive and begun to create infrastructure. Monitoring cross-border transactions via AI and behaviour-based transaction analysis is a structural play, not a tactical one; it is friction that builds on itself. The data feed coming from the Ministry of Communication seems to be improving: 2,355 new accounts added in the three-month period of April to July 2026, faster than previous periods. What remains open is whether squeezing the financial side will reduce participation, or whether 12.3 million active depositors represent a demand floor that enforcement alone cannot move.