Gambling Traffic in Indonesia 2026: Mobile First, Strictly Prohibited

Indonesia looks, at first glance, like a dream iGaming GEO: more than 185 million internet users, fast smartphone adoption and one of the largest digital payments markets in South East Asia. However, unlike some neighbouring countries, Indonesia has chosen a zero tolerance stance on gambling. Online and offline gambling are criminal offences under the Criminal Code and electronic transactions law, and the government has made shutting down online casinos a national priority.

For affiliates and media buyers this means that any strategy based on “online casino Indonesia real money games” or “how to drive adult gambling traffic Indonesia” inside the country is off limits. The only sustainable approach is to understand how strict casino regulation Indonesia 2026 really is, and then work with Indonesian users only in ways that comply with the law, for example by promoting legal products in other jurisdictions and excluding Indonesian territory from direct gambling campaigns.

Casino regulation Indonesia 2026: total ban and an aggressive crackdown

Indonesian law treats gambling as a criminal offence. The Criminal Code (KUHP) penalises both promoting and participating in gambling under Articles 303 and 303 bis, with prison sentences and fines for organisers, intermediaries and players. When gambling is conducted online, additional provisions in the Information and Electronic Transactions Law apply, extending liability to digital intermediaries and platforms.

From 2017 to November 2026, the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs reports removing about 7.39 million pieces of gambling content from social platforms. Between October 20 and 2 November 2026 alone, authorities took down more than 2.45 million gambling websites and related content, of which around 2.1 million were illegal casino, betting and lottery sites. The specialised Online Gambling Task Force has also blocked over 8 000 gambling related keywords to prevent users from even finding these sites.

Financial regulators are involved as well. The Financial Intelligence Unit (PPATK) reports that more than one million Indonesians gambled online in the first quarter of 2026, but has coordinated measures that froze tens of thousands of bank accounts suspected of being used for gambling transactions. The Financial Services Authority has ordered banks to block over 17 000 accounts linked to online gambling, and law enforcement notes that many low income gamblers spend a very large share of their monthly income on illegal betting.

In simple terms, casino regulation Indonesia 2026 is not “grey”. It is a complete prohibition that the government is actively enforcing through site blocking, content removal, keyword filtering and financial surveillance.

Indonesian audience online gambling behaviour: demand versus damage

Despite strict laws, demand for online gambling exists. PPATK estimates that approximately 1.07 million Indonesians engaged in online gambling in the first quarter of 2026 alone, even though the activity is illegal, and that total transaction values still reached tens of trillions of rupiah. Studies and official statements highlight how this underground market creates serious social and financial harm: many participants are low income earners who accumulate debt and divert money away from essential needs.

At the same time, surveys suggest that Indonesians are exposed to high volumes of gambling advertising on global platforms, which is one reason why the government now presses companies such as TikTok, Meta and YouTube to remove gambling content proactively or face sanctions.

For responsible affiliates, the conclusion is clear. There is interest in “gambling traffic Indonesia mobile first”, but it is an illegal and socially sensitive space where trying to drive real money activity inside the country is both non compliant and ethically problematic.

A mobile first, e wallet heavy digital economy

From a pure digital marketing perspective Indonesia is extremely attractive. Internet penetration stood at about 66.5 percent at the start of 2024, with more than 185 million users, and mobile phones are the main gateway to the web for most of the population. Smartphone ownership reached around 81 percent in 2024, and well over half of those users rely on smartphones as their only internet access device.

The country is also one of the largest digital payments markets in the region. E wallets such as GoPay, OVO, DANA, ShopeePay, LinkAja and DOKU dominate everyday transactions and account for a very significant share of ecommerce payments, with usage rates among urban consumers exceeding 60 percent for daily purchases. The overall digital payments market exceeded USD 88 billion in 2023 and continues to grow.

This means that if gambling were ever to be regulated, “payment methods online casino Indonesia e wallets” and “best casino apps Indonesia Android iOS” would be dominated by mobile first flows through local wallets and QR based systems. For now, however, using these instruments to fund gambling remains illegal, and regulators actively monitor and block suspicious payment activity linked to betting.

Why you should not try to drive gambling traffic inside Indonesia

Given this context, the phrase “how to drive adult gambling traffic Indonesia” needs a different answer from the one it might receive for the Philippines or Vietnam. Indonesia is not a partially regulated market; it is a prohibition country that is currently escalating its campaign against online gambling.

Affiliates and networks that attempt to:

• • target Indonesian users with online casino Indonesia real money games or sports betting Indonesia soccer odds funnels
• disguise offshore casinos behind “neutral” content while still pushing users to deposit, risk breaking Indonesian law and exposing themselves and their partners to legal consequences. This includes blocking of domains, payment disruption and potential criminal liability for facilitating illegal gambling.

From a compliance and risk management perspective the only sensible route is to avoid direct promotion of gambling products to users located in Indonesia.

Where TrafficStars makes sense for Indonesian affiliates

TrafficStars is a global multi format ad network with strong experience in gambling and betting offers in jurisdictions where these activities are legal and regulated. It provides formats such as Popunder, Native, Banners, Push, In page Push, Video pre roll and Full page Interstitial, along with advanced geo targeting and optimisation tools.

For Indonesia related strategies this can still be valuable, but only under clear conditions:

• Indonesian based affiliates can build multilingual sites or communities and monetise traffic from countries where online gambling is legal, using TrafficStars campaigns that explicitly exclude Indonesia from targeting.
• Content in Indonesian or English that focuses on general gaming, entertainment or responsible gambling education (without promoting illegal operators) can be promoted to legal geos via TrafficStars inventory.
• International brands present in legal markets can use TrafficStars to reach Indonesian tourists when they are physically present in jurisdictions where gambling is permitted, by targeting those countries rather than Indonesia itself. This is relevant for “casino tourism Indonesia Bali Jakarta” only in the sense that tourists depart from Indonesia to destinations such as Singapore, Malaysia or the Philippines where regulated casinos operate.

The crucial point is that campaigns must respect the rules of the country where the user is located. TrafficStars provides the tools to apply that geo based compliance, but the responsibility for correct use remains with advertisers and affiliates.

Looking ahead: information today, optionality tomorrow

Indonesia’s tourism sector is booming again, with more than 13.7 million international tourist visits and over one billion domestic trips in 2024, and destinations such as Bali continuing to attract millions of foreign visitors each year. For now, none of this translates into legal casino resorts or regulated online betting, and policymakers emphasise consumer protection and social risks when they talk about gambling.

For affiliates, the most future proof strategy is therefore:

• to treat casino regulation Indonesia 2026 as a clear “no” for direct gambling promotion
• to build educational and entertainment content that can be monetised in other legal geos
• to use networks such as TrafficStars only where law and platform policies allow gambling advertising

If the regulatory landscape ever changes, brands and affiliates who have respected these boundaries will be in the strongest position to move quickly. Until then, Indonesia is best understood as a very large, mobile first digital market where gambling promotion remains firmly on the wrong side of the law, rather than as a GEO for classic casino or sportsbook user acquisition.