The arrest of nearly 40 Indian nationals in Bali for allegedly running an online gambling operation has renewed concern about Indonesia’s tourist visa regime, which analysts warn is vulnerable to abuse by foreign criminal groups posing as travellers.
The case highlights the scale of Indonesia’s struggle against online gambling, an industry that authorities say continues to generate billions of rupiah in transactions each month despite repeated crackdowns.
Bali police said the suspects entered Indonesia on tourist visas and had been operating an online gambling website since November from two villas in Badung and Tabanan, districts in the resort island’s south and west.
