Online Gambling Boom Sparks Calls For Ban In Philippines

Women, children and bad 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 quit the roulette wheel or forgo the splendor of a royal flush in poker, Filipino Reagan Praferosa combated his own dependency - a passion that nearly cost him his life.


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


He was imprisoned for theft to cover the financial obligation, sent to rehabilitation centers and then attempted to take his own life.


"Gambling is an emotional illness. It just causes 3 places: jail, organization or death," said Praferosa, who produced an assistance group in 2011 for Filipinos with a gaming dependency.


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


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


"The number of callers we got is 10 times more than normal. Before, callers were controlled by guys. Now they ´ re controlled by mothers ... children too," stated Praferosa.


Several lawmakers have actually submitted bills seeking restrictions on online gambling, such as forbiding using e-wallets that allow larger, faster bets. Others want a total ban.


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


It represented about half of the federal government ´ s overall video gaming incomes so far this year.


A minimum of 80 electronic gaming operators have licences in the Philippines, according to PAGCOR.


Gian Samson, a PAGCOR worker, said he backs an outright ban, claiming the human dangers far surpass the economic advantages.


"Online gambling should be stopped instantly, and we need to determine what is legal or prohibited. It ´ s not contributing anything to our society," said Samson, a representative of PAGCOR's employee association.


The chairman of PAGCOR, founded in 1977 to control gaming and stop illegal casinos, turns down an overall ban and rather favors stricter regulation.


GROWING PROBLEM


Former president Rodrigo Duterte introduced online betting in 2016, opening the door to mostly Chinese-owned companies that accommodated customers outside the country.


President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reversed track and imposed a ban on the outside entities in 2015, mentioning a "severe abuse" of laws by the market.


However, domestic digital versions of conventional gambling establishment video games, such as slots, poker and live roulette, are still permitted and can be accessed from mobile phones.


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


"They are giving Filipinos simple and hassle-free access to gambling. In simply a tap of a button, you can deplete your life cost savings," he said.


Players can join a game, then withdraw all their revenues through popular e-payment apps that even kids can utilize, he said.


DigiPlus Interactive, operator of gaming websites BingoPlus, ArenaPlus and GameZone, stated prohibiting licensed operators would "drive gamers towards illegal, uncontrolled sites with no safeguards" along with hit some 50,000 employees in the sector.


"We are open to progressing and enhancing wherever required. If there are brand-new requirements to fulfill, or much better methods to protect players, we will act quickly and properly," DigiPlus Chair Eusebio Tanco said in a declaration.


RECOVERY


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


"It is now a public health crisis in our society, much like drug dependency, alcohol addiction and other types of dependency. It damages not just the person however also their families," Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, said in a pastoral letter.


He stated online betting injures bad Filipinos who have practically no wage or savings and young people who are currently having problem with the expense of education in addition to other susceptible individuals.


In one Facebook recovery group with more than 25,000 members, one user said he attempted to visit setting up an online betting obstructing app called Gamban however failed to suppress his dependency.


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


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 might be driven by the frequency of online gaming, legal and unlawful," said Zarb-Cousin.


He stated online casinos are connected with higher rates of dependency than traditional betting, and about 80% of Gamban users play primarily slots.


"Everyone desires to make better lives for themselves, and gaming is something that can entirely damage that in a really brief space of time," stated the previous 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 put on gambling operators to protect customers adequately. And in my perfect world, there would not be as many individuals needing Gamban," he said.


"Regulation, if done properly, can avoid or at the extremely 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)