Criminal Acts Rampant Due to Online Gambling, IPB University Sociologist: Government Must Take Firm Action
Online gambling is now a serious problem in Indonesia. This phenomenon has even claimed human lives. Dr Ivanovich Agusta, a sociologist at IPB University, emphasized that online gambling must be viewed as a major problem because it concerns the right to life, the most basic human right.
“When online gambling practices result in loss of life, it shows how serious the problem is,” he said in response to the phenomenon of rampant crime due to online gambling.
According to Dr Ivanovich, one of the main causes of people getting caught up in online gambling is internal factors. From a neuroscience perspective, online gambling causes addiction in the brain similar to narcotics. This addiction drives a person to continue seeking satisfaction, eventually leading them to violate moral boundaries.
“Dependence due to online gambling has the potential to drive a person to commit violations, even to the point of criminal acts,” he said.
From a social perspective, the impact of gambling is now not only felt by the lower classes, but has also spread to the middle class. “This means that this phenomenon is no longer dependent on social class, but has crossed class boundaries with similar consequences, namely the depletion of wealth and even the risk of life,” he said.
In addition, the difficult social and economic conditions of the community further exacerbate the situation. As a result, many people who are trapped in gambling debt resort to criminal acts, such as stealing or pickpocketing, and use the proceeds to pay off their gambling debts.
Furthermore, basically every human being has moral boundaries. However, when addiction arises, the urge makes a person feel that they must continue to fulfill it. The situation gets worse when the social environment tends to be permissive towards gambling practices.
“This is why internal and external factors both play a role, causing people who are addicted to gambling to commit crimes that can even take lives,” he explained.
Dr Ivanovich emphasized the need for concrete steps by the state to break the chain of gambling, namely through strict regulations that prohibit gambling, blocking platforms so that websites and applications cannot be accessed, monitoring transactions on accounts proven to hold gambling funds, and the courage of officials to arrest bookies, not just small players.
“The prohibition of gambling must be consistently enforced by the state, not just a norm on paper. These accounts have actually been detected, so they just need to be blocked and processed legally. Arrest them immediately, block their accounts immediately, so that gambling can be completely stopped,” he said.
Dr Ivanovich advised the public to completely avoid online gambling. “There is no other way but to avoid it altogether. Don’t even try it, because once you get caught up in it, your brain will form an addiction that is difficult to control. This is not a matter of being poor or rich; anyone can be affected,” he concluded. (AS)(IAAS/FMT)
