The Indonesian (IDN) government has always put up efforts to restrict and stop gambling activities in the country. Despite being the 4th largest country by numbers, it still continues to maintain prohibitions on gambling activities. Given the size of the population, there’s no doubt that many within the country would like the opportunity to enjoy a game of poker or blackjack, the games are still illegal in the country. However, websites that offer poker IDN king still continue to thrive. And it’s proof of how popular online gambling is becoming in the region.
Today, many online platforms offer various gambling options. And players from all over the country can get access to these platforms in different ways. But before you immediately start signing up to these services, it will help if you had a brief guide on how the country’s laws operate.
With that end in mind, here’s a brief but comprehensive guide on Indonesian gambling laws and restrictions.
Overview
Gambling, in all its forms, is essentially illegal in Indonesia. As a country with over 87% of the population being Muslim, there are various cultural and religious motivations behind the ban. This means that even the online websites and services are also, technically, not legal.
But it’s much harder for governments to keep checking every website and domain for gambling activities. As a result, many services find ways to bypass the rules and reach out to those who are interested.
Initially, certain lotteries were allowed to operate legally within the country. But many of these lotteries faced shutdowns after the authorities found them pushing the rules. So, all in all, the country has continued the crackdown on illegal gambling for a long time now.
Legislation against gambling
The main legislation made against gambling was reinforced back in 2012. Here, three main government ministries teamed up to check gambling activities. These departments were the Ministry of Social Affairs, Ministry of Religious Affairs, and the Ministry of Communications and IT.
The way it works is that the Ministry of Social Affairs will monitor and report any websites that provide gambling services. In turn, the Ministry of Communications and IT will block these sites from the country. The Religious Affairs Ministry is tasked to examine the requests for lottery licenses within the country.
The Reality
While on paper, these actions sound like total crackdowns on establishments, in reality, it’s harder to execute. Notably, the main reason for this outcome is that the internet keeps adapting to dynamic requirements. This means a service can appear through another IP even if its original IP address gets blocked.
Whether it’s online poker (IDN), King Poker, Poker99, etc., there’s no lack of services that are hosted outside of the country. And these agencies are much harder to block entirely from within the country.
Also, estimates suggest that the gambling market in the country is going to grow even more in the next decade. So, there’s no doubt that online poker and other gambling games will continue to have clients within and outside of the country for a long time to come.
