As online gambling spreads in parts of Asia, multiple regulatory bodies are tightening the payment systems, attempting to cut off the operation chain of illegal gambling from the "funding entrance," a critical link. Countries like India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Singapore have successively strengthened the scrutiny and restrictions on payment channels related to unlicensed online gambling platforms. In plain terms, it's easier to choke the money flow than to laboriously block websites, preventing platforms from receiving or disbursing funds.
Indonesia: Freezing 30,000 accounts, transaction volume down by 57%
The regulatory actions in Indonesia are the most direct. According to the Financial Services Authority data, from September 2023 to December 2025, authorities have asked banks to freeze over 30,000 accounts suspected of being related to online gambling, totaling 31,382 accounts. Meanwhile, the Indonesian Financial Intelligence Unit revealed that the transaction volume related to online gambling in the first three quarters of 2025 still amounted to 1.55 trillion Indonesian Rupiah (about 91.5 billion US dollars). However, this figure has dropped by about 57% compared to the previous year, indicating that blocking bank accounts indeed impacts illegal activities. However, regulators also found that some criminals are quickly adjusting their strategies, turning to digital payment methods like e-wallets once bank accounts are strictly regulated.
India: Blocking 357 foreign websites, focusing on tax evasion platforms
India, on the other hand, starts from the access channel. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence and the Ministry of Information Technology, under the Information Technology Act, have been regulating foreign online gambling platforms. So far, 357 foreign gambling websites and related links have been blocked, with about 700 foreign platforms under investigation. The Indian government emphasizes that the focus is on those platforms that are not compliant locally or have tax evasion issues, not on operators who are compliant with local licensing systems and pay taxes legally.
Philippines and Singapore: Strict regulation of payment service providers, can issue payment blocking orders
In the Philippines, the Central Bank issued a regulatory draft in 2025, requiring all companies providing payment services for online gambling to obtain the necessary licenses, and payment platforms are also prohibited from directly providing links to gambling websites in their systems. In Singapore, the Monetary Authority can issue payment blocking orders under the Remote Gambling Act, directly blocking payment channels once transactions are identified as related to illegal gambling. Facing stricter regulations, some legal operators have begun to adjust their payment strategies, integrating various payment channels, different payment gateways, and regional partners to diversify funding paths and reduce risks. Industry observers believe that this regulatory model starting from the "funding end" may appear in more Asian markets in the future. Want to know the latest updates on Asian gambling payment regulations? PASA official website continues to track.
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This article is from "PASA-Global iGaming Leader" gambling news channel:https://t.me/pasa_news
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