Regulations
The figure marks a sharp increase over the 2025 data-matching exercise, which identified approximately 600,000 beneficiary families with transactions linked to online gambling.
Batam, Rempang and Galang (Barelang) City Police Sr. Comr. Anggoro Wicaksono (second left) reads a statement, next to other officers, during a press conference on the dismantling of an international gambling network in Batam, Riau Islands, on May 25, 2026. (Courtesy of Barelang City Police/-)
The Social Affairs Ministry has suspended the distribution of social assistance to nearly 1.5 million beneficiary families enrolled in the Basic Food Program after data cross-referencing with the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) flagged their accounts for online gambling transactions.Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf confirmed on Sunday that around 1.5 million beneficiary families had been identified in the latest data sweep.
Among them, 794,475 families are also recipients of the Family Hope Program (PKH), a conditional cash transfer scheme aimed at the country’s poorest households.
