Online gambling has become a serious concern in Indonesia. Behind every gambling transaction is not only a question of individual choice but also a broader issue involving household financial resilience and the economy.
Money lost through gambling can reduce resources available to households for savings, education, health, consumption, investment, and productive activities. At a larger scale, the enormous flow of money associated with online gambling makes the issue relevant to Indonesia’s economic and financial system.
Indonesian Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (Pusat Pelaporan dan Analisis Transaksi Keuangan) recorded the turnover of online gambling funds in 2025 at Rp 286.84 trillion, involving a total of 422.1 million transactions. With those numbers, online gambling has become a serious problem to face in this country with a population of around 290 million.
Understanding why people are attracted to online gambling is therefore important for designing more effective prevention policies. So, why do people continue to gamble online even when they understand financial risks, live in a society where gambling is prohibited, and regularly practice their religion?
A recent thesis at the School of Business and Management, Institut Teknologi Bandung (SBM ITB), suggests that the answer is more complex than simply a lack of financial knowledge or religious commitment.
The research was conducted by Maharani, a student of the Master of Science in Management Program at SBM ITB, through her thesis entitled “Determinants of Online Gambling Intention: An Extended UTAUT2 Model Incorporating Financial Literacy, Financial Risk-Taking Attitude, and Religiosity.” The thesis was supervised by Taufik Faturohman, Ph.D. and successfully passed the final examination with a grade of A.
The study examined 160 Indonesian respondents with experience in online gambling and found that financial literacy and religiosity were not significant predictors of gambling intention in the research model.
However, this does not mean that financial knowledge or religious values are unimportant. The findings suggest that knowing how to manage money or understanding that gambling is risky does not necessarily change behavior. Financial education may therefore need to go beyond budgeting and saving by also explaining probability, gambling risks, behavioral biases, and impulsive decisions.
The same applies to religiosity. The study measured religiosity mainly through religious practices and observable behavior, which may not fully capture personal beliefs or how deeply religious values are applied in everyday decisions. The finding should therefore be understood as a reason for further research rather than proof that religion has no influence on gambling behavior.
What Makes Online Gambling Attractive?
The strongest finding of the study comes from two factors: performance expectancy and hedonic motivation.
Performance expectancy refers to the expectation of gaining a desirable outcome, particularly financial gain, while hedonic motivation relates to the enjoyment and excitement of gambling.
In simple terms, people may be attracted to online gambling because they see the possibility of winning money while also enjoying the experience.
This helps explain why financial warnings alone may not be enough. Someone can understand the risks but still find gambling attractive because the expectation of winning and the excitement remain strong.
The digital environment can make this attraction even stronger. Gambling can be accessed through smartphones and online platforms almost anytime and anywhere, making it easier for people to continue gambling and make repeated transactions.
No Single Profile of an Online Gambler
The study also found differences across demographic groups. Higher education appeared to have some protective effect, while some middle-income respondents showed relatively stronger gambling intention. Age did not significantly distinguish gambling intention.
These findings suggest that online gamblers can no longer be viewed as belonging to one particular demographic group. The accessibility of digital platforms has made gambling available to people across different backgrounds.
More Than Financial Education
The research suggests that preventing online gambling requires more than simply telling people about its financial risks.
Financial education, religious values, behavioral interventions, regulation, and technological controls may need to work together. The thesis also points to possible platform-level measures such as stronger user verification, clearer risk disclosures, and “cooling-off” mechanisms that give users time to reconsider their decisions.
Ultimately, the study offers a different way of looking at online gambling. The question is not only “Why do people keep gambling?” but also “What makes them want to gamble in the first place?” Understanding that attraction—particularly the combination of expected financial gain and enjoyment—could help policymakers design prevention strategies that address both individual behavior and the digital environment that makes gambling accessible.
