Online Gambling Boom Sparks Calls For Ban In Philippines

Women, kids and poor amongst victims


Lawmakers propose restrictions or overall ban


Church lambastes 'moral and social crisis'


By Mariejo Ramos


MANILA, July 25 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Before helping fellow gamblers stopped the roulette wheel or pass up the magnificence of a royal flush in poker, Filipino battled his own addiction - a passion that almost cost him his life.


Enthralled by the "big-shot identity" that included early casino triumphes in Las Vegas and later in Manila, Praferosa went on to lose 50 million pesos ($873,515) in seven years.


He was jailed for theft to cover the financial obligation, sent out to rehabilitation centers and after that attempted to take his own life.


"Gambling is an emotional disease. It just results in three places: jail, institution or death," stated Praferosa, who produced an assistance group in 2011 for Filipinos with a gambling dependency.


The group, handled by 5 people, has helped more than 300 individuals with online daily conferences. Its members are as young as 13 and as old as 72.


Lawmakers and the Catholic Church fret that dependency is skyrocketing, with ever more gamblers drawn to online video games, their need accelerated by social-media advertisements and e-wallet platforms.


"The variety of callers we received is 10 times more than normal. Before, callers were controlled by males. Today they ´ re controlled by moms ... children as well," stated Praferosa.


Several legislators have submitted costs looking for constraints on online gambling, such as restricting the use of e-wallets that make it possible for larger, much faster bets. Others desire a total ban.


Online gaming has actually taken off rapidly in the Philippines, with federal government earnings from taxes and costs paid by regional operators for the first quarter approximated at 51 billion pesos, ($892 million) according to report citing data from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), the government's gaming regulator.


It represented about half of the federal government ´ s overall gaming revenues up until now this year.


At least 80 electronic video gaming operators have licences in the Philippines, according to PAGCOR.


Gian Samson, a PAGCOR worker, stated he backs a straight-out ban, claiming the human dangers far surpass the financial benefits.


"Online gambling must be stopped instantly, and we ought to identify what is legal or unlawful. It ´ s not contributing anything to our society," stated Samson, a representative of PAGCOR's employee association.


The chairman of PAGCOR, founded in 1977 to control gaming and stop illegal gambling establishments, rejects an overall restriction and instead favors more stringent guideline.


GROWING PROBLEM


Former president Rodrigo Duterte introduced online gambling in 2016, opening the door to primarily Chinese-owned firms that accommodated clients outside the country.


President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reversed track and enforced a restriction on the outside entities in 2015, pointing out a "serious abuse" of laws by the industry.


However, domestic digital variations of standard casino games, such as slots, poker and roulette, are still permitted and can be accessed from mobile gadgets.


While online betting is legal, Samson stated regulators have failed to limit the market or control who can access these video games, as is mandated.


"They are providing Filipinos easy and hassle-free access to gaming. In just a tap of a button, you can deplete your life cost savings," he stated.


Players can sign up with a game, then withdraw all their revenues through popular e-payment apps that even kids can use, he said.


DigiPlus Interactive, operator of video gaming websites BingoPlus, ArenaPlus and GameZone, stated banning certified operators would "drive players towards prohibited, uncontrolled sites without any safeguards" in addition to hit some 50,000 workers in the sector.


"We are open to progressing and enhancing anywhere needed. If there are brand-new standards to fulfill, or better ways to secure gamers, we will act promptly and responsibly," DigiPlus Chair Eusebio Tanco stated in a declaration.


RECOVERY


The church has decried online gaming as a "ethical and social crisis" and called for a restriction.


"It is now a public health crisis in our society, simply like drug addiction, alcoholism and other types of addiction. It damages not only the individual however likewise their households," Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, stated in a pastoral letter.


He said online gaming harms bad Filipinos who have practically no wage or savings and young people who are currently struggling with the cost of education as well as other susceptible individuals.


In one Facebook recovery group with more than 25,000 members, one user said he tried to come by setting up an online gambling obstructing app called Gamban but stopped working to suppress his dependency.


Gamban, a software supplier based in Britain, can be set up on individual gadgets to block online gaming websites.


Gamban creator Matt Zarb-Cousin said the Philippines is the app ´ s third-highest source of new signups, after Brazil and Britain, showing a rise from about 26,000 visitors in 2024 to more than 32,000 in the very first half of 2025.


"It might be driven by the prevalence of online gaming, legal and prohibited," stated Zarb-Cousin.


He said online gambling establishments are connected with greater rates of addiction than standard betting, and about 80% of Gamban users play primarily slots.


"Everyone wants to make much better lives on their own, and gambling is something that can completely destroy that in a very short space of time," stated the previous gambling addict.


In countries such as Britain, the Netherlands and Norway, Gamban is free. In the Philippines, it costs $3.49 a month.


"There need to be obligations placed on gambling operators to safeguard customers sufficiently. And in my ideal world, there wouldn't be as many individuals requiring Gamban," he stated.


"Regulation, if done effectively, can prevent or at least cut online gambling substantially." (Reporting by Mariejo Ramos. Editing by Lyndsay Griffiths and Ellen Wulfhorst. The Thomson Reuters Foundation is the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters. Visit https://www.context.news)