Indonesians Spent $57 Million on Illegal Online Bets During the World Cup

Indonesians have wagered $57 million on illegal online bets during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to data from Indonesia’s Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK).

At the start of the tournament, the PPATK warned it had detected a sharp uptick in soccer betting.

Per the PPATK, from mid-June to July 2026, the value of online gambling deposits related to the World Cup reached IDR 1.02 trillion.

The PPATK’s Chairman, Ivan Yustiavandana, said his agency also temporarily suspended World Cup gambling-related transactions from 2815 accounts.

All forms of gambling are illegal in Indonesia. However, illegal sports betting portals remain popular in the country.

“The World Cup should have been a moment to enjoy achievements and sportsmanship, not a gateway to gambling. Our discovery of over 6 million World Cup-related transactions in one month demonstrates how quickly online gambling networks are capitalizing on big public [events],” the PPATK chief said.

But Yustiavandana also feted his agency’s newfound ability to identify and monitor gambling-related transactions.

“We can now increasingly detect even the smallest suspicious transaction that passes through the financial system,” he added.

The PPATK’s data, however, appears to show that state gambling crackdowns have brought mixed results.

In its analysis for the first half of 2026, the agency noted that online gambling turnovers had decreased by approximately 12.9% year-on-year, shrinking from $5.6 billion to under $4.9 billion.

However, while illegal gamblers are betting less money, the frequency of their betting has skyrocketed.

The number of recorded transactions increased by over 167%, with the agency flagging 467.32 million transactions. Deposits also shot up by 26%.

The PPATK said gamblers had changed their patterns and were now betting smaller amounts on a more regular basis. But it said that part of the reason for the rise was the increased efficiency of its detection tools.

Yustiavandana said that the agency and its commercial banking partners were becoming particularly adept at flagging “small-value transactions that are carried out repeatedly.”

The PPATK said it would continue working with the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs, the central bank, the national police agency, and others as the crackdown continues.

The agency said that it would continue efforts to cut platforms off from the flow of funds and monitor payment systems.