Indonesia arrests 321 foreign nationals in major illegal online gambling raid

Indonesian police have detained hundreds of foreign nationals in Jakarta after uncovering an alleged international online gambling hub linked to dozens of betting websites targeting users outside the country.

Indonesian police have arrested 321 foreign nationals in one of the country’s largest recent operations against illegal online gambling. The raid targeted a commercial building in the Hayam Wuruk area of West Jakarta, near the city’s Chinatown district, where investigators say an organised digital gambling network was operating.

According to the Indonesian National Police, the group allegedly ran an international online gambling operation involving multiple nationalities, including citizens of Vietnam, China, Myanmar and Laos. Antara reported that the detainees included 228 Vietnamese nationals, 57 Chinese nationals, 13 from Myanmar, 11 from Laos, five from Thailand and three each from Malaysia and Cambodia.

Investigators said the network used structured digital operations, with workers assigned to roles such as customer service, telemarketing and financial administration. Police identified around 75 internet domains and websites suspected of facilitating online gambling, some of which were allegedly designed to avoid government blocking.

During the raid, authorities seized passports, safes, mobile phones, laptops, computers and cash in several foreign currencies. Police said they are still tracing the organisers and financial backers behind the operation, suggesting that the arrests may lead to a wider investigation into cross-border gambling and money flows.

The case also has an immigration dimension. AP reported that many of the suspects had entered Indonesia on short-term visitor visas and overstayed their permits while working for the alleged gambling operation. As of the police announcement, 275 detainees had been formally named as suspects, while others remained under questioning. Those charged could face up to nine years in prison and a fine of up to 2 billion rupiah, or about $116,000.

Online gambling is banned in Indonesia, and the authorities have intensified enforcement amid concerns over organised crime, digital fraud and foreign syndicates relocating across Southeast Asia. Indonesian officials have also warned that some gambling and scam groups previously based in Cambodia and Myanmar appear to be shifting operations to other countries, including Indonesia.

For Indonesia, the raid is more than a single police action. It shows that illegal gambling networks are increasingly operating as transnational digital businesses, using foreign workers, multiple websites and cross-border financial structures. The next stage of the investigation will be important for determining whether authorities can identify the higher-level organisers rather than only the operational staff found at the Jakarta site.