FAKTOR PENYEBAB TERJADINYA PRAKTIK PERJUDIAN SABUNG AYAM DI KECAMATAN NGRONGGOT KABUPATEN NGANJUK DALAM PERSPEKTIF KRIMINOLOGI (Studi Kasus Praktik Perjudian Sabung Ayam)

This study aims to identify and analyze the factors underlying community involvement in cockfighting gambling practices in Ngronggot District, Nganjuk Regency, from a criminological perspective. This phenomenon is significant because, although gambling is legally prohibited under Article 303 of the Indonesian Criminal Code (KUHP), cockfighting remains prevalent and is culturally accepted by some communities as entertainment and local tradition. The research applies a sociological juridical (empirical) method with a qualitative descriptive approach. Data were collected through interviews with cockfighting participants, arena owners, village officials, and local residents, supported by secondary data from literature, legislation, and academic journals. The findings reveal that the causes of cockfighting gambling are divided into two main categories: internal factors and external factors. Internal factors include personal motivation, enjoyment, and attachment to inherited traditions, which shape cockfighting as part of rural community identity. Meanwhile, external factors consist of social acceptance of gambling as a form of entertainment, weak law enforcement, supportive rural geography, and economic motives to gain quick financial profit. From the perspective of Edwin H. Sutherland’s Differential Association Theory, such deviant behavior is learned through social interaction within environments that tolerate or even encourage unlawful activities. This study concludes that cockfighting gambling in Ngronggot District results from a complex interaction between cultural, social, economic, and legal factors. Preventive efforts should include consistent law enforcement, moral and legal education led by community leaders, and economic empowerment programs to reduce dependence on gambling-related activities.