Online gambling practices in
Tulungagung Regency have become increasingly widespread amid easy access to
digital technology, with the Higgs Domino Island application as the primary
platform used by perpetrators. This study aims to identify the socio-economic
dynamics and analyze the socio-economic impacts experienced by online gambling
perpetrators in the digital era in Tulungagung Regency. The study employs a
qualitative case study approach. Data were collected through in-depth
interviews, participatory observation, and documentation involving ten
subjects, comprising active and former online gambling perpetrators in
Tulungagung Regency. The data were analyzed using the Miles and Huberman
interactive model, with source and technique triangulation to ensure validity,
and examined through Anthony Giddens' Structuration Theory and Max Weber's
Theory of Social Action. The findings reveal that the perpetrators' socio-economic
dynamics occur through four interrelated aspects: initial involvement triggered
by curiosity, free time, and mixed economic-emotional motives; playing activity
that escalates in frequency and duration alongside ease of technological
access; social activity marked by selective openness toward fellow players
while concealing the behavior from family; and economic activity marked by
uncontrolled spending and the use of alternative capital sources. The social
impacts identified include family relational breakdown, loss of trust, and a
shift of social circles toward fellow-player networks, while the economic
impacts include depleted income, exhausted savings, increased debt, and the
loss of productive assets. The study concludes that online gambling constitutes
a complex socio-economic phenomenon formed through the interaction of social
structure, digital technology, and individual action, thus requiring a handling
approach that simultaneously involves family, community, and public policy.
Keywords: socio-economic dynamics, socio-economic
impact, online gambling, digital era, Tulungagung