The scourge of online gambling in Indonesia: Young people hooked on addictive sites

In Indonesia, almost 1 million minors are thought to have an online gambling habit. Worse, authorities say more than 80,000 online players are aged below 10. For these youngsters, gambling is not a pastime they can control, but a dangerous obsession, driven by a desperate desire for a quick and easy way out of poverty. This despite gambling being illegal in the Muslim-majority country. In 2024, Indonesia recorded dozens of suicides linked to online gambling. FRANCE 24 reports.

The scourge of online gambling in Indonesia: Young people hooked on addictive sites
In Indonesia, almost 1 million minors are thought to have an online gambling habit. Worse, authorities say more than 80,000 online players are aged below 10. For these youngsters, gambling is not a pastime they can control, but a dangerous obsession, driven by a desperate desire for a quick and easy way out of poverty. This despite gambling being illegal in the Muslim-majority country. In 2024, Indonesia recorded dozens of suicides linked to online gambling. FRANCE 24 reports.