Indonesia's Ministry of Social Affairs has suspended 1,494,652 beneficiary families from its Basic Food Assistance Program after financial intelligence data indicated possible links to online gambling transactions.
The action follows a data-matching exercise conducted with the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK), which identified a significant increase in the number of welfare recipients flagged for suspected gambling activity. Of those under review, 794,475 were also receiving support through Indonesia's Family Hope Program (PKH).
Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf said the ministry is carrying out a detailed verification process to determine whether social assistance funds were misused and whether the affected households remain eligible for government support. The review is expected to be completed next week.
The latest findings represent a sharp increase from 2023, when authorities identified nearly 600,000 welfare recipients with suspected links to online gambling.
The ministry is working alongside PPATK and the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs to verify individual cases while updating the National Socio-Economic Single Data system, which is used to determine eligibility for government assistance programs.
According to Yusuf, the investigation is intended not only to determine whether welfare funds were used for gambling but also to ensure assistance reaches those who genuinely qualify.
Alongside the investigation, the ministry is expanding educational efforts through PKH facilitators and social workers. The campaign encourages beneficiaries to use assistance appropriately, improve digital literacy and avoid allowing others to use their financial accounts for illegal activities.
Seperately, the Czech Republic expanded its national gambling exclusion register to automatically prohibit recipients of its new living allowance benefit from accessing licensed gambling products.
Similar measures have also emerged elsewhere, including Brazil, where operators estimate restrictions on welfare beneficiaries have reduced the regulated betting market, and Argentina, where several provinces have introduced gambling bans targeting individuals who fail to meet court-ordered child support obligations.
The move reflects a broader trend of governments linking welfare eligibility with responsible gambling safeguards
