Indonesia is over 85% Muslim and hence the Quran contributes a lot to the laws of the land. To be sure, Islamic laws are vehemently against any activity that is speculative in nature. The government of Indonesia banned any kind of gambling in 2012 and has been looking for every opportunity to tighten the noose around the sector since then.
Government seemingly winning the war against gambling
According to statistics, there is no known physical location in Indonesia where gambling takes place. The strict government is seemingly succeeding in ensuring that the country remains free of the activity and that it adheres to strict Islamic Laws. Interestingly, the Indonesians today are not able to wager even in simple activities like kite flying or even boat racing. This speaks to just how tight surveillance is and how any other form of gambling is next to impossible.
Nevertheless, Indonesia is gambling. To be sure, many international betting companies have given Indonesians a golden opportunity to access the huge market from the comfort of their couches. With a simple touch of their smartphone , one can access numerous opportunities to place bets in thousands of markets available online.
The internet is countering government efforts
This is to say that the more the Internet penetrates the country the more people will be able to enjoy the gambling actions. Interestingly, there were reports in the country that some online gaming companies that had licenses to distribute simple games were offering betting opportunities. As a result, the Ministry for Social and Religious Affairs launched investigations aimed and finding and punishing the culprits.
Further, the Ministry for Communications & IT moved to find ways of blocking access for Indonesians to international websites where they can engage in wagering. Nevertheless, it is clear that the activity is happening especially on online platforms. To be sure, one can easily play agen poker online through online platforms that are proliferating every waking moment.
Indonesians can also bet in other table games as well as sports like soccer, badminton and Pencak Silat. Interestingly, the proliferation of underground gambling channels is associated with the growing online gaming activities in the country.
Passing up the economic potential of betting could be expensive
According to Newzoo, a gaming market researcher, Indonesia is the second largest online gaming and animation market in Southeast Asia. Notably, the firm estimated that the country has 43.7 million online gamers who are very active. To be sure, the online gaming and animation industry earned Indonesia $879.7 million in 2017 compared to the global revenue of $94.4 billion in the same period.
As such, some proponents argue that online betting could earn more revenue if it is correctly regulated. This is to say that Indonesia should come up with appropriate laws to allow the people to play agen poker online while at the same time upholding values that are implicit within Islam.
As per the proponents, the country loses more if it passes up the economic potential of online
betting for the sake of religious code.
