Online Gambling Boom Sparks Calls For Ban In Philippines

Women, kids and poor among 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 bettors gave up the live roulette wheel or pass up the splendor of a royal flush in poker, Filipino Reagan Praferosa fought his own dependency - a passion that practically cost him his life.


Enthralled by the "big-shot identity" that included early casino victories in Las Vegas and later on in Manila, Praferosa went on to lose 50 million pesos ($873,515) in 7 years.


He was jailed for theft to cover the debt, sent out to rehab centers and after that tried to take his own life.


"Gambling is a psychological illness. It just leads to 3 places: jail, institution or death," stated Praferosa, who created a support system in 2011 for Filipinos with a gambling dependency.


The group, handled by 5 people, has helped more than 300 people with online day-to-day 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 games, their requirement accelerated by social-media ads and e-wallet platforms.


"The number of callers we received is 10 times more than normal. Before, callers were controlled by guys. And now they ´ re controlled by moms ... children as well," stated Praferosa.


Several legislators have submitted costs seeking constraints on online gambling, such as prohibiting using e-wallets that allow bigger, quicker bets. Others desire a total ban.


Online betting has removed quickly in the Philippines, with government profits from taxes and charges paid by local operators for the very first quarter estimated at 51 billion pesos, ($892 million) according to report mentioning information from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), the government's video gaming regulator.


It accounted for about half of the federal government ´ s total gaming revenues up until now this year.


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


Gian Samson, a PAGCOR staff member, stated he backs an outright ban, claiming the human threats far outweigh the financial benefits.


"Online gaming need to be stopped instantly, and we should identify what is legal or unlawful. It ´ s not contributing anything to our society," said Samson, an agent of PAGCOR's staff member association.


The chairman of PAGCOR, founded in 1977 to manage video gaming and stop illegal casinos, turns down a total restriction and instead favors more stringent guideline.


GROWING PROBLEM


Former president Rodrigo Duterte introduced online gaming in 2016, opening the door to mostly Chinese-owned firms that accommodated customers outside the nation.


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 versions of traditional casino video games, such as slot makers, poker and roulette, are still permitted and can be accessed from mobile phones.


While online gaming is legal, Samson said regulators have actually stopped working to limit the market or control who can access these games, as is mandated.


"They are offering Filipinos easy and hassle-free access to betting. In simply a tap of a button, you can diminish your life savings," he said.


Players can join a video game, then withdraw all their earnings through popular e-payment apps that even children can use, he stated.


DigiPlus Interactive, operator of gaming sites BingoPlus, ArenaPlus and GameZone, stated banning certified operators would "drive players towards illegal, unregulated sites without any safeguards" along with struck some 50,000 employees in the sector.


"We are open to progressing and improving any place required. If there are new requirements to meet, or much better methods to safeguard players, we will act promptly and properly," DigiPlus Chair Eusebio Tanco stated in a declaration.


RECOVERY


The church has decried online gambling as a "moral and social crisis" and called for a restriction.


"It is now a public health crisis in our society, much like drug addiction, alcoholism and other kinds of addiction. It damages not only the person but likewise their families," Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, said in a pastoral letter.


He said online gaming hurts poor Filipinos who have almost no salary or savings and young people who are already fighting with the expense of education in addition to other susceptible individuals.


In one Facebook healing group with more than 25,000 members, one user stated he attempted to come by installing an online gaming blocking app called Gamban but stopped working to suppress his dependency.


Gamban, a software service provider based in Britain, can be set up on individual gadgets to obstruct online gambling sites.


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


"It may be driven by the prevalence of online gaming, legal and illegal," said Zarb-Cousin.


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


"Everyone wishes to make much better lives for themselves, and gambling is something that can entirely destroy that in an extremely short space of time," said the former betting addict.


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


"There should be responsibilities placed on gambling operators to secure customers sufficiently. And in my ideal world, there wouldn't be as numerous people needing Gamban," he said.


"Regulation, if done properly, can avoid or at the very least cut online gambling considerably." (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)