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During a press conference held in Jakarta on November 19, 2025, Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digitalisation formally called on the prominent internet infrastructure provider Cloudflare to assist in blocking illegal online gambling websites operating within the country as part of the nation’s firm stance against online gambling.
Cloudflare Under Scrutiny for Facilitating Gambling Sites
Alexander Sabar, director general of digital space supervision at the ministry, revealed findings from recent research showing an overwhelming 76 percent of a sample set of 10,000 online gambling sites rely on Cloudflare’s services. Many of these sites use Cloudflare’s content delivery network features, such as IP address masking and rapid domain transfers, to bypass government content blocking efforts, frustrating Indonesia’s regulatory attempts.
Sabar stressed that Cloudflare has a responsibility to cooperate more closely with Indonesian authorities and to be selective about who uses its content delivery network services. He said the company should not be approving every request indiscriminately and argued that any client posing a risk to Indonesia should not be supported. According to him, this level of filtering is a core part of proper content moderation.
Deadline and Regulatory Compliance
The ministry has categorized Cloudflare as one of 25 Electronic System Providers (PSEs) that, so far, have failed to register with relevant Indonesian authorities as stipulated by Ministerial Regulation No. 5/2020 governing private electronic systems providers. Consequently, the ministry has issued Cloudflare a deadline of 14 working days to register and comply with existing regulations before facing potential administrative sanctions, which could include termination of services.
Implications for Gambling Sites and Platforms
Sabar called on websites currently using Cloudflare’s infrastructure to proactively consider other internet service providers to avoid disruptions in case the government enforces a block of domains connected with Cloudflare. He repeated Indonesia’s openness to global digital platforms and services, as long as they demonstrate a sufficient commitment to complying with regulations.
Broader Context and Enforcement Challenges
Indonesia has been increasingly cracking down on illegal online gambling, depending on advanced digital tools to find and block unlawful content online. However, the broad use of cloud infrastructure providers seriously complicates the task for enforcement due to the fact that these services protect offending sites from straightforward detection and blocking.
Cloudflare, a U.S.-based company providing key performance-enhancing and security functions for most online applications accessed globally, is at the heart of this very complex discussion pitting Internet governance against user privacy and national regulatory prerogatives. The Indonesian case underlines various challenges that governments face when trying to harness global digital infrastructure in order to combat illicit online activities within their jurisdictions. This is a sign of the increased importance of public-private cooperation in the digital sphere in pursuit of a more regulated online space with less illegal gambling and more protection for the consumer.
With Cloudflare set to respond within the timeline set by Indonesia, it signals Indonesia’s resolve in a firm crackdown against illegal online gambling networks operating within the country.
Source: Focus Gaming News
