The Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi) has identified a number of accounts in digital wallet applications, such as DANA, GoPay, LinkAja, OVO, Sakuku, and ShopeePay, that have been used for online gambling transactions.
“We have communicated with them [digital wallet applications] to continue to reduce or take down the e-wallet accounts used for online gambling transactions,” Minister of Communication and Digital Application, Meutya Hafid, said on Thursday, November 21, 2024.
It was revealed during a press conference on the Performance Achievement of the Online Gambling Eradication Desk and the Cybersecurity and Data Protection Desk on Thursday, November 21, 2024, that several digital wallet applications had a percentage of accounts detected related to online gambling.
They include: Dana (25.68 percent), GoPay (24.84 percent), LinkAja (21.47 percent), OVO (21.26 percent0, Sakuku (2.32 percent), and ShopeePay (2.11 percent).
The ministry, when it was still called the Ministry of Communication and Informatics (Kominfo), had earlier reprimanded five digital wallet platforms because they were used for online gambling transactions in early October 2024.
According to The Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK), the transaction value of five of the six digital wallet companies was:
- PT Espay Debit Indonesia Koe (DANA): Rp5.4 trillion (US$340,000) with a volume of 5 million;
- PT Visionet Internasional (OVO): Rp216.6 billion with a volume of 836,095;
- PT Dompet Anak Bangsa (GoPay): Rp89.2 billion with a volume of 577,316;
- PT Fintek Karya Nusantara (LinkAja): Rp6.5 billion with a volume of 80,171;
- Airpay International Indonesia (Shopeepay): Rp6.1 billion with a transaction volume of 33,069.
“The main target for blocking e-wallet accounts is online gambling bookies. In addition, the flow of money to online gambling players will be the next target,” Budi Arie Setiadi, then Minister of Communication and Informatics, said on October 11, 2024.
Yogi Rizkian Bahar, Chief Executive Officer of LinkAja, had defended that the company has never facilitated any form of suspicious financial activity or transactions, including online gambling.
“In accordance with the direction of the Central Bank (BI), LinkAja always applies the principle of prudence and good risk management in implementing the payment system,” he said on October 11, 2024.
Sharon Issabella, Head of Communications DANA Indonesia, said that the company is very active and regularly reports suspicious transactions, including online gambling, to relevant regulators such as PPATK and through the reporting system to the authorities and tightening the fraud detection system (FDS).
“We do this not only because of regulations, but also because we seriously want to be responsible for protecting users who often become victims of online gambling,” she said.
Meanwhile, Audrey Petriny, Head of Corporate Affairs of GoTo Financial, emphasized that the company routinely detects account misuse related to online gambling.
“Then, we stop GoPay services for suspected accounts,” she said.
