A sharp surge in deceptive and illegal gambling ads been detected reaching Indonesian users across Meta platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.
This trend highlights significant gaps in oversight despite years of stringent enforcement measures by national authorities.
An investigation by AFP confirmed that gambling promoters are deliberately disguising paid advertisements as innocuous content, such as health tips or video game promotions, which then redirect users to offshore betting websites operating outside Indonesia’s national legal framework.
This pattern demonstrates the extreme speed with which illegal operators adapt in a market where both online gambling and its promotion are entirely banned. AFP’s findings identified dozens of paid ads using misleading visuals and titles, such as “Pomegranate: The Exotic Red Fruit Rich in Benefits,” to lure clicks before redirecting users to betting pages that promise immediate cash rewards.
These promotions often originate from accounts registered in foreign jurisdictions, using multiple administrators and opaque ownership details, allowing promoters to maintain a façade of legitimacy until users land on the actual gambling sites. Despite the national prohibition, billions of dollars continue to flow through the sector annually.
The proliferation of these ads is causing widespread concern, reaching everyday user feeds, including those of minors. Indonesian authorities have responded aggressively, claiming to have removed over 5.7 million pieces of gambling-related content over the past eight years.
Furthermore, police enforcement has intensified, with at least 85 influencers arrested last year for promoting online betting, facing penalties of up to ten years in prison.
The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs has also escalated warnings, even temporarily suspending TikTok’s operating license in October after the platform refused to share information linked to suspected gambling activity.
Research by Populix indicates the widespread visibility of this issue, showing that 98 percent of social media users in Indonesia have encountered gambling promotions. Critically, 32 percent of those exposed admitted to trying online gambling afterward.
The Indonesian Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre estimates online gambling transactions reached 927 trillion rupiah between 2017 and the first quarter of 2025, with an estimated 80 percent of users coming from low-income or student backgrounds.
This scale of exposure to illegal gambling ads in Indonesia highlights the growing pressure on digital platforms to urgently improve their monitoring tools and close the gap between rapidly evolving market tactics and regulatory enforcement.
