Police in Indonesia have confiscated over $32 million worth of assets from two businessmen. The authorities cite illegal internet gaming as the origin of the money. Commissioner-General Wahyu Widada of the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Agency stated that officers froze $16 million in cash. The operation also resulted in the seizure of four vehicles and some financial items. Wahyu said the two suspects employed a shell company to transfer funds received from illegal gaming websites.

Indonesian Police: Suspects Could Face Up to 20 Years in Prison

Police accused two suspects of money laundering crimes. Each suspect might receive a sentence of 20 years in prison if convicted. Police officers said both individuals played the role of high-ranking members at A2Z Solusindo Teknologi. The suspects processed payments not only through formal company accounts. They also processed payments through accounts maintained under the name of a shell company.

Police said that both of these men had complete control of A2Z Solusindo Teknologi. They also controlled this company’s clandestine business dealings. This control allowed them to move gambling money. The suspects also used the company to collect these payments.

Wahyu, who spoke for the police, said they processed profits from at least twelve gambling websites. These sites mostly offered illegal online slot games. The Commissioner-General reported that the suspects used QR code payments, virtual accounts, and cryptocurrencies for moving money.

Police said the two suspects operated 4,656 accounts spread across twenty-two banks. They used investment platforms and cryptocurrency wallets to make it difficult for authorities to follow the money. So far, police have frozen about two hundred accounts in eight different banks.

Gambling Crackdown Already Yielding Results, Law Enforcers Claim

Indonesia’s Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre revealed a significant decline in the value of online gambling transactions. This came at a time when police were still raiding illegal betting sites in the country.

PPATK released statistics for the first quarter of 2025, where it was stated that gambling transactions online amounted to $2.8 billion. During the same time in 2024, this number reached $5.4 billion.

Officials at the centre linked this drop to a strict crackdown against gambling networks. They stated that the decline marked a major achievement for their efforts.

PPATK also made a prediction about the total number of online gambling transactions. During January to March 2025, their records showed 39 million gambling-related transactions.

Data from PPATK suggested that, by the end of 2025, total gambling transaction volume could reach 160 million. For comparison, there were 209 million such transactions in the whole year of 2024.

Wahyu, the head of the Criminal Investigation Agency, pointed out that online gambling affects every group in Indonesian society. He said the problem has reached not only the general public, but also students and police officers.

He also warned about the real-life consequences. In some cases, people have committed theft or even homicide to settle gambling debts.

Earlier in the month, police reported the seizure of over $36 million from several Indonesian bank accounts. These accounts were connected with suspected illegal gambling activities.

In April, a United Nations agency reported that large international crime groups used legal casinos in Southeast Asian countries. The agency said that these groups are tried to move illegal money through lawful gambling operations.