Indonesia arrests 5 foreigners suspected in online gambling syndicate

[Russlenat]

Can't they open and operate such from wherever they are? Do they need to live in the country since the casino is illegal and they don’t own any physical office?

Why not... and maybe they are wanted in their own countries for similar things and they had to move away. Or maybe the law in other countries is not as strict as it is in their own country. All in all, they are not new in this business, and for sure they saw that they can make more money this way... In the end, who cares? What's important is to avoid suspicious casinos, because these guys, or similar ones, are behind it.

Be careful out there... in many ways, the online space can be a real jungle.

This kind of people are probably have been evicted in their own country or they are trying to escape because they are already target of suspicions in their own country. And Indonesia is part of their escape plan so maybe that's why they are there. Unfortunately, their plan does not work and even get arrested in no time.

But in all honesty, each country may have different rules and laws to follow, but its up to the people if they will obey it, or make their own laws and live on their own. But once they get caught, they should prepare theirselves and pay the price of breaking the law.

[obuoma]

Even after knowing how strict Indonesia is about gambling yet these people still try to penetrate means they must have seen how lucrative it is to promote their version of gambling. If they interrogate them properly, other things may even come out of this such as money laundering and other illicit businesses because if it is only gambling, they may not want to take such big risk. I think they may use gambling as a decoy to push other businesses whose reward is worth the risk they are taking.

[Joeboy]

...

It's an online casino and so all operations can be done remotely and without any physical presence... And so I too am even wondering why they will go all through the stress of going to another country when they could just operate it from their own country while targeting customers from other countries..Unless maybe they too of course aren't even there from legitimate purposes...My guess is that those foreigner that were arrested may not even be the actual owners coz if they were they wouldn't risk going down to a country that is already against gambling knowing fully well of what could happen when caught... I believe they were acting on the instructions that they were given from whosoever that are the real owners...

[Hispo]

Even after knowing how strict Indonesia is about gambling yet these people still try to penetrate means they must have seen how lucrative it is to promote their version of gambling. If they interrogate them properly, other things may even come out of this such as money laundering and other illicit businesses because if it is only gambling, they may not want to take such big risk. I think they may use gambling as a decoy to push other businesses whose reward is worth the risk they are taking.

Well, if they doing some something illegal as keeping up a shady casino in a country like Phillipines, then it would be obvious to assume they are also laundering money, so they can have access to the earnings of the casino in the future, otherwise it would be useless for them, since they would have no way to justify their profit before regulators and Philippine law enforcement.

It makes me wonder whether they were using Monero or any other privacy enhanced cryptocurrency in order to launder their money, using FIAT it is also effective, but it would require moving important amounts of their capital in cash.

[rachael9385]

Don't be surprised that it's these people that do go to a different country to run an illegal gambling business might not be clean and have the plans to scam gamblers through their gambling platform. However, gambling is illegal in main China and if you are caught running a gambling syndicate, you have committed an organized crime. Maybe, that was why these guys left China down to Indonesia to commit this crime but get bursted by Indonesia immigration.

Is gambling legal in Indonesia? I don't think these guys thought this through, running from the country to start and illegal gambling operation in a different country is absolutely crazy. They know that they could not do so in China so they decided to travel to Indonesia probably thinking that it would be possible for them to lay low and it is Also possible that they had assistance from some Indonesians. Like you said, they might have had the intention to scam gamblers.

[LogitechMouse]

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I think this is the second time I’m seeing cases of a country arresting foreigners who are said to be operating illegal gambling businesses in the country, which brings me to the question of why someone would leave their own country and go to the country of others just to open up an illegal gambling business.

Can't they open and operate such from wherever they are? Do they need to live in the country since the casino is illegal and they don’t own any physical office?

Those people who got arrested are from China and Vietnam based on the article that you shared and based on a quick research, gambling is banned on both countries. The question now is "Why Indonesia where gambling is also banned?" Well, the plausible reason is that they believe that there are still many people out there that are into gambling despite of it being banned. How? Illegal gambling just like what they did. It's just unfortunate for them that they got caught.

Why Indonesia? I mean there are many other countries out there where gambling is considered legal. I don't want them to go to our country, but unfortunately gambling is legal here so... they could've operated here. More and more will get caught, but you know what's one thing that will always be true? They'll caught some out there, but there will be a new one that will arise. That's the reality because... gambling as a business is very lucrative and profitable

[Haunebu]

These morons got caught primarily due to forging their return tickets thanks to their insatiable greed and this caught the eye of immigration officers who flagged them due to which their entire organisation collapsed. Proper bunch of filth for sure.

They primarily chose Indonesia due to its easy to acquire tourist visa, superb gambling environment despite it being illegal there and weak national currency. Happy to see karma getting served properly in this case.

[ZeroVinsonN]

Or maybe they were basically running from their home countries, it's not completely out of place to think that maybe they committed crimes back home before leaving, they are probably in Indonesia illegally, things like this happen alot these days.
They've been caught and hopefully if they are other chains of gambling syndicates connected to them then the authorities can also find and arrest them as well. You don't leave your own country to wreak this kind of damage in someone else's country, hopefully more will be caught like this.

I don't think this is an escape, but rather an expansion of an existing business. 🙋

Imagine you're the owner of an illegal online casino in China  or Vietnam. You want to scale your business. Specifically, you want to attract Indonesian players to your casino. But how do you do that? Not all players are willing to deposit cryptocurrency. Many are used to making all payments through mobile banking or local digital wallets.

Being in China and Vietnam, you won't be able to accept such payments. Even a VPN won't help. Therefore, you need your employees to be physically present in Indonesia...

That's why five foreigners with a large number of smartphones went to Indonesia. Their mission was to set up a processing center in the country. Well, we know the end of that story. Their mission failed.🤷

I will very much not like to imagine myself in that situation thank you very much. An expansion does make more sense, people not wanting to use cryptocurrency aside, there is only so much foreign patronage they can get if they are not present in the country seeing as most locals might prefer gambling with their local currency than with an online currency they don't fully trust gambling in a foreign online casino they can't hope of physically reaching.

I know I wouldn't an online casino knowing well enough that it's illegal, I will start considering the chancee of possibly getting scammed by them.

[viljy]

~
Can't they open and operate such from wherever they are? Do they need to live in the country since the casino is illegal and they don’t own any physical office?

I don’t have any information about this case, but I’ll venture to make a few assumptions. Perhaps the criminal penalty, if they are arrested, is less severe in Indonesia than in China or Vietnam? Maybe there are some nuances in financial transactions that make working from Indonesia easier or more profitable for them? Maybe they, or one of them, is already under police surveillance or is wanted in their home country? These could be the simplest reasons.

[Mpamaegbu]

I think this is the second time I’m seeing cases of a country arresting foreigners who are said to be operating illegal gambling businesses in the country, which brings me to the question of why someone would leave their own country and go to the country of others just to open up an illegal gambling business.

Like they say in local parlance, it's the domestic rat that points to the wild rat where certain treasures are in the house. No foreigner can confidently carry out illegal deals in a country that's not theirs without the active connivance of a local. Yes, that's often how it works. Locals know that their country won't be  too hard on foreigners the way they would on their compatriots. There's that emotional acceptance of finding foreigners around. Scrutiny is relaxed for them. The unscrupulous ones among the locals will utilize that loophole to unleash their criminality. This is even worse in Africa.

[lovesmayfamilis]

It seems that Indonesia enjoys great success among scammers for organizing various kinds of fraudulent schemes in it. These five are not the first, and I think they will not be the last, as it seems, scammers, as the May events, when large groups of foreigners were caught, show. that these people had gambling plans for foreign clients. In a country with a Muslim majority, such scams are even more discontented among those who prohibit gambling and violate the rules of the law.

I don’t have any information about this case, but I’ll venture to make a few assumptions. Perhaps the criminal penalty, if they are arrested, is less severe in Indonesia than in China or Vietnam? Maybe there are some nuances in financial transactions that make working from Indonesia easier or more profitable for them? Maybe they, or one of them, is already under police surveillance or is wanted in their home country? These could be the simplest reasons.

Chinese laws are harsh. But the 9year sentence these fraudsters could face is no small amount of time, either.

Of the 321 people arrested, he said 275 were accused of violating Indonesia's criminal code on gambling, a charge that carries ⁠a maximum sentence of nine years.

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-05-09/more-than-300-foreigners-arrested-in-jakarta-raid-on-online-gambling-operation

[Pandu Geddon]

Is gambling legal in Indonesia? I don't think these guys thought this through, running from the country to start and illegal gambling operation in a different country is absolutely crazy. They know that they could not do so in China so they decided to travel to Indonesia probably thinking that it would be possible for them to lay low and it is Also possible that they had assistance from some Indonesians. Like you said, they might have had the intention to scam gamblers.

Without the help of local residents, they would not be able to get a place to be used as an office or operational site. They also surely employ local residents for other operations.
I think the ease of obtaining a tourist visa is the reason they choose Indonesia. Besides that, their target might be the Southeast Asian market which indeed has quite a high gambling activity.
Whether they cheat gamblers or not, perhaps the gamblers do not realize it. When they often lose, they will look for other gambling sites.

[leea-1334]

Can't they open and operate such from wherever they are? Do they need to live in the country since the casino is illegal and they don’t own any physical office?

Cheap electricity, lot of cheap labor and hard to be found,,, and maybe easy to bribe? Indonesia has a lot of good networks and internet, and probably they belong to a big syndicate with politicians and police in the pocket. And everytime they need to look good they just give up some small fish like these guys.

You sound like you come from a similar country, sure you know how it works 

[Sim_card]

Is gambling legal in Indonesia? I don't think these guys thought this through, running from the country to start and illegal gambling operation in a different country is absolutely crazy. They know that they could not do so in China so they decided to travel to Indonesia probably thinking that it would be possible for them to lay low and it is Also possible that they had assistance from some Indonesians. Like you said, they might have had the intention to scam gamblers.

They might even know. Maybe, they have partners over there that can assist them in their operations and to also settle whatever, will be the consequences if they are caught. Maybe, China punishment is severe than that of Indonesia on online gambling syndicate. I am just guessing all these to know the reason why some person will leave their country and go to a different country entirely for illegal gambling operation.

[sompitonov]

Cheap electricity, lot of cheap labor and hard to be found,,, and maybe easy to bribe? Indonesia has a lot of good networks and internet, and probably they belong to a big syndicate with politicians and police in the pocket. And everytime they need to look good they just give up some small fish like these guys.

You sound like you come from a similar country, sure you know how it works 

I sometimes ponder exactly how this could be rooted out preventing syndicates from exploiting corruption, bribery, and a vast pool of cheap labor yet these are the very conditions that enable their operations. And, of course, money and connections determine most, if not all, of it. I get the impression that this situation is here to stay for the long haul or at least until gambling captures the interest of the masses perhaps AI might have a positive impact, though predicting the future amidst such rapid AI development is incredibly difficult.

[Leahized]

Is gambling legal in Indonesia? I don't think these guys thought this through, running from the country to start and illegal gambling operation in a different country is absolutely crazy. They know that they could not do so in China so they decided to travel to Indonesia probably thinking that it would be possible for them to lay low and it is Also possible that they had assistance from some Indonesians. Like you said, they might have had the intention to scam gamblers.

I'm searching on Google and gambling of any kind is not legal in Indonesia. And my assumption was just like that, because Indonesia is a Muslim country. For those whose intentions are not good, it is possible to carry out all kinds of work. And going to another state to engage in illegal activities is not a big concern. Because such incidents have happened many times before. Because people are helpless in front of money, and greedy individuals are involved in this.

The purpose of a gambling syndicate means planning to embezzle others' money. Because syndicates are formed for this reason, to achieve several times the profit in a short period. Unfortunately, they have not been able to do this. Perhaps many have been saved from being deceived.

[Samlucky O]

I think this is the second time I’m seeing cases of a country arresting foreigners who are said to be operating illegal gambling businesses in the country, which brings me to the question of why someone would leave their own country and go to the country of others just to open up an illegal gambling business.

Can't they open and operate such from wherever they are? Do they need to live in the country since the casino is illegal and they don’t own any physical office?

Maybe gambling is prohibited in the country of those foreigners, because I see no reason why someone will leave his country to do an iligal gambling business in another country. But however that is not a good reason for them to do an iligal gambling in another country, if gambling is not allowed in their country and they go to another country, they will have to make it legal instead of iligal. Doing it iligal means that they don't have good intention. I am glad the Indonesian government apprehend them earlier.

[CryptoHeadlineNews]

I think this is the second time I’m seeing cases of a country arresting foreigners who are said to be operating illegal gambling businesses in the country, which brings me to the question of why someone would leave their own country and go to the country of others just to open up an illegal gambling business.

Can't they open and operate such from wherever they are? Do they need to live in the country since the casino is illegal and they don’t own any physical office?

Maybe those foreigners had other plans apart from the alleged gambling syndicate they are been accused of, because of all places they could choose to go, they decided to go to Indonesia, knowing fully well that all forms of gambling activities is banned and prohibited in that country by it's locals and foreigners, irrespective of the country you come from. And at this point, I think they are still a suspect until proven otherwise in a competent court of justice. So I think this will be a lesson to other foreigners who will want to use Indonesia for such secret online gambling activities, because if they had respected the laws of the Indonesian people they never would have found themselves in this mess.

[Myleschetty]

What I can say regarding this is that they are conducting their illegal operations in various countries during their scheduled timeframe or months, allowing them to evade law enforcement since they are inherently criminals.
Therefore, to remain out of the radar of the police, they opt to shift from one country to another to run their dubious online gambling service.

[POPOLUV]

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's Immigration Office has arrested five foreign nationals from China and Vietnam suspected of being part of an international online gambling syndicate.

According to Banten Immigration Office Head Barron Ichsan, the five foreigners were arrested following an inspection of their place of stay on September 7, during which officers found "an unreasonable number of electronic devices operating automatically."

"During the inspection, our officers confiscated one computer, one laptop, and 26 cellphones," Ichsan said of the operation in his remarks on Saturday.

I think this is the second time I’m seeing cases of a country arresting foreigners who are said to be operating illegal gambling businesses in the country, which brings me to the question of why someone would leave their own country and go to the country of others just to open up an illegal gambling business.

Can't they open and operate such from wherever they are? Do they need to live in the country since the casino is illegal and they don’t own any physical office?

I could have given the right answer to your question but since i don't have such experience, i might not the exact reason behind people leaving their own country and go to a foreign country to practice an illegal gambling but if i will contribute on this topic, i will start by saying that every one has the right to travel to any country of their choice in sereach of greener pasture, so for that reason, i don't really think that this five people we are seeing in the background travel all way from their country to another just to operate in illegal gambling, maybe the work that have in mind to work in Indonesia is not paying the bills that wants or they could get a job opportunities, so i guess that might lead them to commit such crime and at least best thing that government of Indonesia was able to capture up with them, so that people can learn from it and remove their hands from illegal things.