Baiting the Bet: How Two Young Women Lure Online Gamblers
Unveiling the story of two young women working as online gambling marketers, using targeted strategies to lure male gamblers.
The internet pervasive presence has created a fertile ground for both legal and illegal online activities. Online gambling, for instance, has become deeply ingrained in Indonesian society. The rise in addiction has been so severe that companies barely need to market their services anymore.
In 2022, advertisements for these illegal platforms proliferated on social media and through personal communication channels like WhatsApp and phone calls. Behind these massive marketing efforts are exploitative strategies aimed at deceiving gamblers, often using women to draw attention and generate profits. Two former employees of online gambling companies revealed how this insidious system operates.
“Jaz”, a 23-year-old student at a university in South Tangerang, worked as a live streamer for six months on an online gambling site, Hwtoto. Her job was to engage players and convince them they could win big.
Jaz got the job from a friend who did not disclose the nature of the website. Intrigued by the promise of a Rp 7 million monthly salary—well above the minimum wage—for only nine hours of work per week, she accepted. A week later, a van picked her up along with other women recruited for the same role. None of them knew they would be working for an online gambling site until they arrived at the office in Pantai Indah Kapuk, North Jakarta. Though initially frightened, they were assured by the manager that the operation was protected by law enforcement.
Three times a week, Jaz live-streamed on YouTube, demonstrating how “easy” it was to win. She was instructed to wear revealing clothing, such as tank tops that exposed her cleavage. Initially unsure why this was necessary, Jaz soon understood. “My boss believes every online gambler is a pervert,” she explained during our conversation in South Tangerang in November.
Each streamer developed their own style to attract viewers. While Jaz built a casual, friendly atmosphere, her colleague flirted with viewers, promising seductive dances in exchange for deposits. But the demands didn’t stop there. Jaz and others were required to create TikTok content wearing provocative outfits provided by their boss and performing trendy dances to entice new players. While Jaz showed her real face during live streams, promotional videos used artificial intelligence to blur her identity.
“It wasn’t something I wanted to do, but I needed the money to buy a new,” she said.
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The “Marketing” Scam
According to Jaz, the company’s strategy focused on exploiting stereotypes about men—that they hold higher-paying jobs, have more disposable income, and are more easily tempted by sexual content. Women were deliberately placed as the public face of these operations to maximize effectiveness.
Most of Jaz’s colleagues were young women with prior experience as live streamers on platforms like Nimo. “You’re expected to be sexy and flirty, promising video calls or sleep calls to keep players hooked,” she explained.
When demand peaked, Jaz’s boss assigned her an additional role as a customer service agent. Her task was to persuade gamblers to deposit money, sometimes sending voice notes to convince them she was real. Male colleagues posing as women often relied on Jaz to record these voice notes.
“I’d say, ‘Come on, baby, deposit your money—you’re guaranteed to win.’ And they’d reply, ‘Okay, but send me sexy pictures later,’” Jaz recalled. “My boss wasn’t wrong—most gamblers were perverts.”
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A Short-Lived Career
Like Jaz, “Maddie,” a 20-year-old student from South Jakarta, worked as a telemarketer for Gowin123, another online gambling site. She found the job on one of the job vacancy websites. Having been kicked out by her abusive father, Maddie accepted the job despite knowing it involved gambling.
Maddie’s primary task was to send marketing messages via WhatsApp, pretending to be a woman and promising nude photos or videos in exchange for deposits. Her team frequently left gamblers hanging after they had deposited money.
“Some colleagues even promised sex via video calls,” Maddie said. “It was uncomfortable to watch.” These extreme tactics aimed to meet tight targets of recruiting 15 new gamblers daily, with telemarketers working 10 to 12 hours a day.
The company acquired phone numbers and email addresses through Telegram groups where databases were bought and sold. “If you’ve registered on one gambling site, others will contact you because they trade your data in those groups,” Maddie explained.
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Moral Suicide
Both Jaz and Maddie felt a profound sense of guilt. “We had to kill our moral compass,” Jaz admitted. She left the job after six months, having saved enough to buy a new iPhone. Maddie quit after just one month, earning Rp10 million before her boss relocated the office to Cambodia following a crackdown by law enforcement.
Although both women left the industry, the sites continue to operate from abroad. Jaz’s former boss even contacted her in early 2024 to create a promotional video, which she accepted due to financial need.
The impact of online gambling extends beyond the employees. Maddie recalled a gambler’s voice note, where he tearfully admitted losing money meant for his child’s diapers. Despite her guilt, Maddie followed the company’s script, blaming a “technical issue” and encouraging him to try again.
“It’s about fooling the fools,” she said.
According to the Indonesian Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK), as cited by Kompas daily, 3.79 million Indonesians were involved in online gambling transactions in 2023, with deposits totaling Rp 34 trillion.
Today, Jaz continues her studies and works as a freelance model. Maddie rents a room in West Jakarta while pursuing her university education and teaching elementary students part-time. Reflecting on her experience, Maddie said, “It’s not funny to imagine yourself still persuading gamblers in your 40s.”
Their stories shed light on the exploitative nature of online gambling—a system that preys on both its employees and its players, leaving a trail of moral and financial ruin.
Ilustrasi oleh Karina Tungari
