Although the betting industry has a promising profit that could even boost the poor economic status of a country by enhancing both the national and local tourism through attracting foreign high rollers and investors, it is still not widely accepted by some countries particularly the conservative ones which are commonly found in Asia. Asia is home to 4.561 billion people and is considered the largest and most populous continent in the world based on the 2018 data. Its large population is seen by some game operators, especially the foreign game developers, as an opportunity to establish game houses that are giant income generators. As a result, the betting industry in Asia continued to flourish which is expected to generate almost $80 billion in the next few years due to its increasing patrons.
The State of the Indonesian Betting Market
Despite the forecast made by a multinational professional consulting branch Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) about the possible huge revenue from the betting industry in Asia, the Indonesian government remained firm in their ideals that no game houses should legally operate on their ground. This strict adherence to the law is rooted in its religious faith—Islam, which is the 4th largest Muslim populace around the globe, that deemed any illicit activities like betting as haram (forbidden). The Indonesian ministries of Social Affairs, Religious Affairs, and Communications are the pillar authors and executioners of these laws. This move of the government is propelled by the betting incident which happened during the 2012 Euro Football Cup that resulted in a thousand rupiah losses committed no other than by Indonesian avid bettors whosold some of their properties in the hope of winning bigger prizes by participating in the sports betting event. This loss has greatly impacted the Indonesian economy which had just recovered from the Asian Financial Crisis that happened in 1997. To mitigate this from happening again, betting in any form and type is strictly prohibited to run in the country for the sole purpose of preserving the wealth of the society and keep the halal practices.
The Effect of Betting Laws on the Bookmaking Industry
Because of the strict laws, some gaming houses that are run in underground parlors, typically located in tourist sites,are frequently raided by the government. These raids did not stop these betting parlors from reoperating despite the imposed penalties and years of imprisonment once caught red-handed. This continuous busting of illicit activitiesare initiated by the Muslim community which even forced thegovernment-owned lotteriesfrom functioning for they believe that it will corrupt the moral values of its people and breeds unlawfulness since the human desire for betting is unsatiable. As a result, some game operators who are functioning offshore launched various online betting sites like Joker123 that are translated to their lingua franca—Bahasa Indonesia—to cater to the Indonesian avid bettors. This move somehow quenches the thirst of some for gamers to bet and enjoy in the comforts of their home. Hence, the Indonesian government is on its move again to create new laws that would cover the banning of these online betting sites.
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