Student sentenced to Indonesia prison for promoting gambling site

A judge in Indonesia has sentenced a 20-year-old university student to two and a half years in prison for endorsing an online gambling platform. 

Indah Siska Sari, from the North Sumatra province, was found to have promoted the site through her Instagram account, attracting attention from the authorities. 

Ms Indah was found guilty of violating Article 45(3) of the 2024 Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law.

In addition to the sentence, a financial penalty was also imposed on the student.

Presiding judge Vera Yetti Magdalena said on Wednesday (April 23): “The court hereby sentences the defendant, Indah Siska Sari, to two years and six months of imprisonment.”

Indah was also issued with a Rp50 million fine ($298.00), with an additional two months to be served in prison if no payment is made.

Officially, all forms of gambling are illegal in Indonesia, a conservative Muslim nation. 

Despite the ban, some users are able to access illicit betting services online, risking law enforcement, fines, and prison, as in this case.

Last month, Indonesian police confirmed the extradition of 29 individuals over an alleged illicit gambling ring in the Philippines. 

Judge Vera outlined that the defendant’s actions contravened government policy and measures to eradicate gambling. 

She continued, “An aggravating factor is that the defendant’s actions do not support the government’s program to combat gambling-related crimes.” 

“As a mitigating factor, the defendant has admitted to and expressed remorse for her actions, and she has no prior criminal record.”

Indah admitted her Instagram account was used to promote the online platform Hopeng after officers acted on a tip-off to arrest her. 

The police had been made aware of an individual frequently posting links to the illegal gambling site.

Prosecutors in Indonesia were seeking a three-year prison term and an increased fine, citing that Indah was receiving Rp300,000 ($17.86) every 15 days, with a total of Rp850,000 ($50.59) accrued from her promotional work. 

That plea was turned down, with the disclosure made that the money received had already been spent on college fees.

Image credit: Grok/X

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