Indonesia detains 21 foreign nationals in Bali raid on suspected online gambling operation
Indonesia's Directorate General of Immigration has detained 21 foreign nationals at a housing estate in Kuta, Bali, on suspicion of misusing their stay permits to run an online gambling website. The group comprises 12 Myanmar nationals, eight Vietnamese nationals and one Chinese national, according to the directorate. Officers seized 92 electronic devices during the operation on October 29.
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Overview
- Immigration officers raided two houses at the Harvestland Residence estate in Kuta, Badung regency, Bali, on the morning of October 29, the Directorate General of Immigration said.
- The directorate said the 21 detained foreign nationals are suspected of misusing their stay permits by operating an international online gambling website, which it named as macaujc.com.
- Officers seized 36 personal phones, 29 work phones, 18 laptops, six computers and three iPads, according to the directorate.
What immigration officials said
The operation was carried out by the directorate's Immigration Supervision and Enforcement unit with the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office, which covers southern Bali. Director General of Immigration Hendarsam Marantoko said in a written statement that officers had watched the location for several days before entering the two houses at about 7 a.m. local time.
Eight Vietnamese nationals were found in the first house, and 12 Myanmar nationals and one Chinese national in the second, according to the statement. The directorate said some of the group held pre-investment visit permits and others held remote worker temporary stay permits (ITAS). It said payments linked to the site were allegedly made through Alipay and WeChat Pay.
All 21 people and the seized devices were taken for further examination by immigration officers, Hendarsam said. "We do not tolerate the misuse of stay permits, especially where there are indications of involvement in crimes such as online gambling," he said.
The directorate has not said whether the case will be handed to the police for criminal investigation. Earlier this month, prosecutors in Bali sought a five-year sentence for an online gambling customer service worker. Online gambling offences in Indonesia are prosecuted under the Criminal Code and the Electronic Information and Transactions Law.
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Teresa Domingo is an editor at AskSpinner News, turning fresh iGaming insights into engaging, accessible content. Teresa’s writing connects the latest developments with the stories behind them, aiming to give busy industry readers both a timely update and a new idea worth following.
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