April 24, 2025 | 10:59 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A district court in Medan, North Sumatra, on Wednesday sentenced a 20-year-old university student to two and a half years in prison for promoting an online gambling site through her Instagram account. Indah Siska Sari, a student from Tanjung Pura in Langkat Regency, was found guilty of violating Article 45(3) of the 2024 Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law.
"The court hereby sentences the defendant, Indah Siska Sari, to two years and six months of imprisonment," aid presiding judge Vera Yetti Magdalena on Wednesday, April 23, 2025.
The court also ordered Indah to pay a Rp50 million fine or serve an additional two months in jail if she fails to pay.
Judge Vera said the defendant’s actions had not supported the government’s efforts to eradicate gambling. "An aggravating factor is that the defendant’s actions do not support the government’s program to combat gambling-related crimes," she said. "As a mitigating factor, the defendant has admitted to and expressed remorse for her actions, and she has no prior criminal record."
Judge Vera granted Indah and the Medan District Prosecutor’s Office one week to decide whether to appeal the verdict. "Do you intend to appeal or accept this ruling?" she asked in court.
The sentence was lighter than what prosecutors had demanded. Prosecutor Vina Monica had sought a three-year prison term and a Rp15 million fine with a four-month subsidiary jail term. According to her indictment, the case began on October 24, 2024, when Medan city police received a public tip-off about a woman frequently posting online gambling links on Instagram.
"Based on that information, officers went to Dazat Café on Jalan Alfalah, East Medan, and arrested the defendant," said Vina. A search of Indah's phone and Instagram account revealed archived posts promoting the gambling site Hopeng.
"The defendant admitted that the account was used to promote or endorse the online gambling site Hopeng,” Vina said. “The defendant had been promoting the site from August 2024 until October 6, 2024."
Prosecutors said Indah was paid Rp300,000 every 15 days, earning a total of Rp850,000 for her promotional work. Vina said the money has already been spent on the defendant’s college expenses.
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