Poker in Indonesia: the law, the risks and John Juanda

Indonesia has produced one of the greatest tournament players in history, John Juanda, and has a large population of poker enthusiasts. It also has one of the strictest gambling regimes in the world: there are no casinos, no lotteries and no licensed online gaming, and enforcement against online gambling is active. GGPoker and WPT Global accept Indonesian players; before you read further, understand that doing so is illegal for the player in Indonesia. We would rather say that plainly than sell you a bonus.

Is poker legal in Indonesia?

No. Gambling of any kind is a criminal offence under the Penal Code, and online gambling is additionally an offence under the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law. The government blocks gambling websites in large numbers, banks and payment providers are required to freeze accounts linked to online gambling, and the police have run sustained campaigns against online gambling since 2023 that have included arrests of players, not only operators. In the province of Aceh, Islamic law adds further penalties. There is no exemption for poker as a game of skill. If you play on an offshore site from Indonesia, you are breaking the law and the risk is entirely yours. This is general information, not legal advice.

Where Indonesian players play live

Abroad. Singapore's two casinos are the closest legal poker rooms, followed by Manila, Macau, Cambodia and Australia. Indonesia's best-known players built their careers overseas: John Juanda in the United States and Macau, Ferdinand Putra on the Triton series in Cyprus, Monte Carlo and Jeju.

Online poker and Indonesia

GGPoker and WPT Global list Indonesia among the countries they accept, Natural8 has an Indonesian-language community, and CoinPoker offers crypto-only play. We list them because the operators state they serve the market, not because we think the position is safe: payment channels are policed, sites are blocked and players have been arrested. If you decide to play, that decision should be made with full knowledge of the law.

Indonesia's players

John Juanda, born in Indonesia and based in California, is a Poker Hall of Famer with five WSOP bracelets, the 2008 WSOP Europe Main Event title and about $26.8 million in earnings, 50th on the world's all-time list. Ferdinand Putra, a Triton short deck specialist, is a distant second with about $1.9 million.