Is Indonesia’s tourist visa scheme vulnerable to abuse? Bali gambling bust renews concern

The arrest of nearly 40 Indian nationals in Bali for allegedly running an online gambling operation has renewed concern about Indonesia’s tourist visa regime, which analysts warn is vulnerable to abuse by foreign criminal groups posing as travellers. The case highlights the scale of Indonesia’s struggle against online gambling, an industry that authorities say continues to generate billions of rupiah in transactions each month despite repeated crackdowns. Bali police said the suspects entered Indonesia on tourist visas and had been operating an online gambling website since November from two villas in Badung and Tabanan, districts in the resort island’s south and west. Of the 39 detainees, 35 have been formally charged, while four others have been designated as witnesses but remain under investigation. Police began monitoring the group on January 15 after a cyber patrol discovered an Instagram account promoting the website. On February 3, officers raided the two villas, arresting the suspects and seizing evidence. Gambling, whether online or offline, is illegal in Indonesia. The suspects allegedly lured people in by sharing Instagram links that directed users to the gambling site. Bali police chief Inspector General Daniel Adityajaya told reporters on Saturday that the site had generated around 7 billion to 8 billion rupiah per month (US$417,000 to US$476,000). He said the suspects were recruited in India with the promise of a monthly salary of 5 million rupiah (US$298). “They’ve been here for around two months, disguised as tourists. They’ve been provided with a villa for operations, and they rarely interact with outsiders,” he said, calling online gambling “a real threat” to people’s finances and “the future of the younger generation”. Aszhari Kurniawan, director of cyber research at Bali police, said the island was chosen as the base of the suspects’ operations as “it is an international destination … and a large number of Indian tourists visit here”. The gambling site primarily targeted users in India but could be accessed globally via a virtual private network, he added. Police are now investigating possible links between the suspects and online gambling rings in Cambodia. The Indian nationals have been charged under Indonesia’s 2024 Electronic Information and Transactions Law, which carries penalties of up to nine years in prison and a fine of 200 million rupiah. Filtering tourists The arrests add to a growing list of criminal cases involving foreign tourists in Bali and have intensified pressure on authorities to tighten entry screening. “The tourist arrival system makes it difficult to screen tourists,” said Ida Bagus Raka Suardana, a professor of economics and business at the National Education University in Denpasar. “Many tourists can enter with visas on arrival, so they aren’t required to meet specific requirements. They just need to arrive and have their visas processed here.” Indonesia currently grants visas on arrival for tourists from 97 countries. “If we go to Australia, we have to go through a selection process, including showing our bank accounts. When we go to Thailand, we have to have a minimum savings of 6.5 million rupiah. Although it’s not very strictly implemented, at least people will think twice about entering that country,” Raka Suardana said. He also urged accommodation owners in Bali to be “selective and sensible” in accepting guests and to discreetly monitor for suspicious activities through villa caretakers. Uphill battle Indonesia has long sought to stamp out online gambling, threatening permanent bans for platforms that host such content. Financial regulators have also tried freezing dormant bank accounts commonly used for gambling transactions, though the policy was short-lived after criticism that it was arbitrary. “Law enforcement should cut the flow of information about online gambling websites,” said Nailul Huda, digital economy director at the Centre of Economic and Law Studies. “These sites are generally promoted in pornographic posts on social media, and they already have a tool to trace this kind of posts.” He also called for stricter action against criminal networks selling dormant bank accounts online. According to the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK), online gambling transactions in 2025 reached 286.84 trillion rupiah – a 20 per cent drop from 2024 – with more than 12 million gamblers paying through bank transfers, e-wallets or via QR codes. Last year, the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs blocked more than 2.7 million websites containing prohibited content, including over 2 million linked to online gambling. Nailul warned that online gambling could cause economic losses and social harm, particularly for lower-income communities. “If a citizen spends 200,000 rupiah on basic necessities, the money will circulate in the trade, agriculture, distribution and banking sectors,” he said. “If the money is used for online gambling, it will quickly move to overseas accounts. The economy will stagnate. Thus, it is crucial for the government to eradicate online gambling.”

Is Indonesia’s tourist visa scheme vulnerable to abuse? Bali gambling bust renews concern

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The case also underscores Indonesia’s struggle against online gambling, which continues to flourish despite repeated crackdowns

The case also underscores Indonesia’s struggle against online gambling, which continues to flourish despite repeated crackdowns