Through an official statement here on Monday, Abbas expressed concern over several impacts of online gambling, including the number of gamblers reaching 201,122 and the involvement of citizens reaching up to 2.7 million people, with most of the users being teenagers aged 17-20 years.
The transaction value of gambling also reached Rp327 trillion in 2023.
"This is clearly a very large and fantastic number. Therefore, if this cannot be overcome, various negative impacts will occur," he emphasized.
Abbas pointed out several impacts that would occur, including the psychological factor that would encourage perpetrators to spend money in the hopes of winning and, in the process, they would not hesitate to take on debt and sell goods.
Moreover, he said, addicted perpetrators will experience high levels of stress and anxiety that can disrupt their mental health.
"The third, the perpetrator will face problems in his social life, both with his own friends and/or with family members. Hence, it is likely that conflicts will occur frequently and quarrels between husband and wife, which could result in divorce, can also occur," Abbas said.
He added that the perpetrator would also face legal ramifications, and this could affect their reputation and future.
When perpetrators are addicted, Abbas said that they are very likely to become involved in criminal acts of theft that can disrupt the lives of the wider community.
He urged the government and society to jointly eradicate online gambling, so that it does not become a problem for the country in future.
The Ministry of Communication and Information (Kominfo) also expressed the government's determination to jointly eradicate online gambling.
"The Ministry of Communication and Information is fully committed. Early, last week, I gathered all our teams at Kominfo to together eradicate online gambling," Minister of Communications and Information Budi Arie Setiadi stated.
The minister also sought public support to help eradicate online gambling by reporting if they find gambling sites that are still active.
"There must be support from the people. Report all gambling sites to us. We will immediately take down (the site)," he remarked.
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Translator: Sean Filo Muhamad, Katriana
Editor: Tia Mutiasari
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