Officials on the Indonesian tourist island of Bali have arrested 39 Indian nationals for running illegal online gambling operations.
According to a report by AFP, police raided two villas on 3 February where they arrested the suspects and seized phones, laptops and computers. It is claimed that the suspects had entered Bali on tourist visas and set up an online gambling site which has been in operation since late last year – bringing in around US$475,000 per month.
“A preliminary investigation shows that they opened and operated an office in Bali to take advantage of Bali’s status as an international tourist destination to avoid suspicion,” said Bali police chief Daniel Adityajaya.
All forms of gambling remain illegal in Indonesia, including private operations targeting foreigners. Despite this, the AFP report cited official data that ahows more than 12 million Indonesians are involved in gambling activities, with 2025 online turnover estimated at IDR280 trillion (US$16.7 billion).
The organizers of such activities can face up to nine years in prison, heavy fines and asset seizure.
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