(AsiaGameHub) – Ahead of the upcoming FIFA World Cup, Indonesian police are reminding football fans to stay alert to online scams, push back against “excessive fanaticism”, and avoid participating in sports betting, which is banned under Sharia law.
Indonesia enforces a strict ban on all forms of gambling, whether in-person or online, for both local residents and foreign visitors. According to domestic news outlet Tempo, authorities are growing increasingly concerned that illegal online gambling operators fleeing a nationwide crackdown in Cambodia have relocated their operations to Indonesia. Last week, police raided one such illegal operation in West Jakarta, arresting more than 320 foreign nationals that were reportedly running 75 separate iGaming websites.
“Some of these people came to Indonesia specifically to work as online gambling operators,” said Brigadier General Wira Satya Triputra, director of the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Agency. “This operation was run in a structured way, relying on electronic systems and organized cross-border digital criminal networks.”
The arrested suspects came from a range of Asian countries, including China, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Cambodia and Thailand.
“We have already anticipated and predicted this shift,” noted Brigadier General Untung Widyatmoko of the National Central Bureau of Interpol Indonesia. He added that police have already identified transnational scam hubs in other parts of Indonesia, including Surabaya, Denpasar and Batam.
In addition to Indonesia, displaced Cambodian gambling operators are also reportedly moving to other countries including the Philippines, Timor Leste and South Africa.
World Cup betting could break all-time records
The 2026 World Cup will run from 11 June to 19 July across three host nations: Canada, Mexico and the United States. An estimated 6 billion viewers are expected to tune in, making it the most-watched sporting event in recorded history. One forecast projects that fans will wager more than US$35 billion total on the tournament, which will feature 48 competing teams and 104 total matches.
In Indonesia, public broadcaster TVRI will host public World Cup viewing events across 34 of its regional stations. But all forms of betting remain completely prohibited, National Police spokesman Trunoyudo Wisnu Andiko stated at a TVRI press conference held on 8 May.
“We must work together to prepare for the risk of football gambling around the tournament,” Trunoyudo said. “But we cannot allow this major event to be exploited for illegal activities that will cause people financial harm. Cheer on your favorite team with positive enthusiasm. Do not let excessive fanaticism disrupt public security and public order.”
He also advised the public to report any suspected fraudulent activity to authorities through an official public hotline.
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