Indonesia has recorded its first annual decline in online gambling transactions in almost a decade, according to new figures released by the country’s Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK).
The agency said online gambling fund flows totalled IDR286.84 trillion ($16 billion) in 2025, down 20 percent from IDR359.81 trillion ($20.1 billion) recorded in 2024. It marks the first year-on-year decline since 2017.
Sharp drop in deposits
PPATK also reported a sharp drop in gambling deposits. Deposits fell from IDR51.3 trillion ($2.9 billion) in 2024 to IDR36.01 trillion ($2 billion) last year.
The regulator also released preliminary figures for the first quarter of 2026. During the three-month period, online gambling transactions reached IDR40.3 trillion ($2.2 billion), while deposits stood at IDR10.6 trillion ($519 million).
PPATK clarified that the figures relate to specific suspicious transaction cases under its monitoring and should not be interpreted as representing the broader Indonesian financial services sector.
The agency also highlighted a clear shift in payment behaviour. Indonesia’s national QR code payment system, QRIS, accounted for 88.6 percent of online gambling deposits during the first quarter of 2026, up from 78.5 percent across the whole of 2025. At the same time, the use of traditional bank transfers continued to decline.
According to PPATK, gambling operators are increasingly processing payments through smaller and more frequent transactions, making it more difficult for authorities to detect suspicious activity. The agency said criminal groups are also relying on shell companies, fake merchant accounts, merchant aggregators and financial technology services to disguise gambling-related transactions and hide the movement of funds.
The latest data comes as PPATK continues to push for additional resources to strengthen Indonesia’s fight against financial crime, including illegal online gambling.
Major measures in 2027?
In June 2026, the agency requested an additional IDR516.4 billion ($31.7 million) for its 2027 budget. If approved, PPATK’s total budget would increase to IDR769.8 billion ($47.3 million), significantly above the current indicative allocation of IDR253.3 billion ($15.5 million).
PPATK said the additional funding would help improve transaction analysis, compliance monitoring, financial intelligence capabilities, international cooperation, information technology systems, policy development and staff training. A large portion of the proposed budget would also support investigations into money laundering, terrorism financing and illegal online gambling.
Speaking before Indonesia’s House of Representatives in June, PPATK chief Ivan Yustiavandana said the agency needed stronger financial intelligence capabilities to tackle increasingly sophisticated criminal networks.
The proposal has received support from members of parliament, who argued that PPATK requires greater resources to trace, freeze, confiscate and recover criminal assets more effectively. Online gambling remains one of the agency’s biggest enforcement priorities despite the recent decline in transaction values.
Earlier this year, PPATK warned that gambling activity often increases around major sporting events or festival season. Before the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the agency reported signs of rising gambling deposits and said it had identified the use of QRIS and nominee bank accounts to process betting payments.
Authorities have since stepped up cooperation with the Indonesian National Police and other agencies as they continue efforts to disrupt illegal gambling networks and strengthen oversight of the country’s financial system.
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