Indonesian Lottery and Indonesian Politics
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Seventeen-year-old Naima Khairiya Ismah has never voted before and isn’t sure what she’ll do when she finally gets the chance. But she knows it’s going to be important. As candidates vie to replace popular but term-limited President Joko Widodo in Indonesia’s elections later this month, they have been aggressively targeting millennials and Gen Z voters, the young people who make up about 55% of the country’s 205 million eligible voters. They’ve been reaching out through the apps many of them use, the K-pop music they love and even video gaming events.
In Indonesia, with the world’s largest Muslim population, Islam prohibits gambling and views money obtained through games of chance as impure. That’s why many Muslim leaders have been calling for the state lottery, known locally as SDSB, to be banned.
However, the government has been resistant, arguing that SDSB is not gambling and that it has been a positive force in society. It has also accused those who are critical of the lottery of focusing only on its negative aspects.
The popularity of lottery has soared in recent years, thanks to online platforms that allow players to join international draws with a click of a button. But the game is not a one-size-fits-all experience, with regional variations and nuances that make it uniquely indonesian. From the streets of Jakarta to the serene villages in Bali, lottery games offer hope amidst economic hardship and a chance to dream beyond rice fields.