An Indonesian district courtroom has sentenced 20-year-old Indah Siska Sari to 2 and a half years in jail for selling an unlawful on-line playing platform by way of her Instagram account. The decision, issued on April 23, 2025, by the Medan District Court docket in North Sumatra, discovered her responsible underneath Article 45(3) of the 2024 Digital Data and Transactions (ITE) Regulation.
College pupil imprisoned in Medan over on-line playing endorsement:
Presiding over the case, Decide Vera Yetti Magdalena declared, “The courtroom hereby sentences the defendant, Indah Siska Sari, to 2 years and 6 months of imprisonment.” Along with the jail time period, the courtroom imposed a effective of Rp50 million (roughly $3,100), with an extra two-month sentence to be served if she fails to pay.
The scholar, a resident of Tanjung Pura in Langkat Regency, was prosecuted for repeatedly selling the playing website Hopeng by way of her private Instagram posts between August and early October 2024. Indonesian authorities acquired a public tip on October 24, 2024, alleging suspicious gambling-related content material on her social media account. Appearing on the lead, officers positioned and arrested Indah at Dazat Café on Jalan Alfalah in East Medan.
Upon arrest, authorities examined her cell phone and Instagram archive, discovering posts endorsing the playing website. Prosecutor Vina Monica confirmed throughout the trial that Indah admitted to utilizing her account to advertise Hopeng. “The defendant admitted that the account was used to advertise or endorse the net playing website Hopeng,” mentioned Vina.
In accordance with the indictment, Indah acquired Rp300,000 (round $18) each 15 days for her efforts, finally incomes Rp850,000 (about $50.59) earlier than her arrest. She later defined that all the cash had been spent on university-related bills.
Prosecutors initially sought a three-year jail time period and a effective of Rp15 million, alongside a possible four-month substitute sentence. Nevertheless, the courtroom handed down a lighter sentence resulting from a number of mitigating elements.
Court docket balances authorities coverage with defendant’s circumstances:
Decide Vera emphasised that Indah’s actions had been inconsistent with nationwide efforts to curb unlawful playing. “An aggravating issue is that the defendant’s actions don’t assist the federal government’s program to fight gambling-related crimes,” she acknowledged, as Tempo.co reviews. Nevertheless, she additionally acknowledged the scholar’s cooperation and regret, noting, “As a mitigating issue, the defendant has admitted to and expressed regret for her actions, and he or she has no prior prison document.”
Each Indah and the Medan District Prosecutor’s Workplace had been granted one week to contemplate interesting the decision.
The case in opposition to Indah coincides with broader regional efforts to deal with unlawful playing and related crimes. In March 2025, Indonesian authorities extradited 29 nationals from the Philippines for his or her alleged roles in an unlawful playing ring. The group is underneath investigation for potential connections to scams and arranged crime, together with human trafficking.
