Online Gambling Boom Sparks Calls For Ban In Philippines

Women, children and poor amongst victims


Lawmakers propose constraints 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 pass up the magnificence of a royal flush in poker, Filipino Reagan Praferosa battled his own dependency - an enthusiasm that almost 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 imprisoned for theft to cover the debt, sent out to rehabilitation centers and after that attempted to take his own life.


"Gambling is an emotional illness. It just results in 3 locations: jail, institution or death," stated Praferosa, who produced a support system in 2011 for Filipinos with a betting addiction.


The group, handled by five people, has actually assisted more than 300 people with online everyday meetings. 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 gamblers drawn to online games, their need sped up by social-media ads and e-wallet platforms.


"The number of callers we received is 10 times more than typical. Before, callers were dominated by men. And now they ´ re controlled by mothers ... children too," said Praferosa.


Several legislators have filed bills looking for limitations on online betting, such as prohibiting the usage of e-wallets that allow larger, much faster bets. Others want an overall restriction.


Online gambling has actually taken off rapidly in the Philippines, with government revenues from taxes and costs paid by regional operators for the first quarter estimated at 51 billion pesos, ($892 million) according to news reports pointing out information from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), the federal government's gaming regulator.


It represented about half of the government ´ s total video gaming revenues so far this year.


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


Gian Samson, a PAGCOR employee, said he backs an outright restriction, claiming the human threats far surpass the economic advantages.


"Online betting need to be stopped right away, and we ought to identify what is legal or illegal. It ´ s not contributing anything to our society," said Samson, an agent of PAGCOR's worker association.


The chairman of PAGCOR, founded in 1977 to control video gaming and stop prohibited casinos, turns down a total ban and instead favors stricter guideline.


GROWING PROBLEM


Former president Rodrigo Duterte introduced online gambling in 2016, unlocking to mostly Chinese-owned companies that catered to clients outside the country.


President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reversed track and enforced a ban on the outdoors entities last year, pointing out a "severe abuse" of laws by the industry.


However, domestic digital versions of conventional casino video games, such as slot machines, poker and live roulette, are still allowed and can be accessed from mobile gadgets.


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


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


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


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


"We are open to developing and improving wherever required. If there are new requirements to satisfy, or much better methods to protect players, we will act quickly and properly," DigiPlus Chair Eusebio Tanco stated in a statement.


RECOVERY


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


"It is now a public health crisis in our society, much like drug dependency, alcoholism and other kinds of dependency. It ruins not just the individual 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 gambling injures bad Filipinos who have practically no wage or cost savings and youths who are already battling with the cost of education along with other susceptible people.


In one Facebook recovery group with more than 25,000 members, one user stated he tried to come by setting up an online gambling blocking app called Gamban but stopped working to curb his addiction.


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


Gamban creator Matt Zarb-Cousin said the Philippines is the app ´ s third-highest source of brand-new signups, after Brazil and Britain, showing 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 prevalence of online betting, legal and illegal," said Zarb-Cousin.


He said online casinos are associated with greater rates of dependency than standard betting, and about 80% of Gamban users play mostly slots.


"Everyone desires to make better lives for themselves, and gambling is something that can completely ruin that in a really brief space of time," stated the previous betting addict.


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


"There must be duties put on gambling operators to secure consumers adequately. And in my perfect world, there wouldn't be as lots of people needing Gamban," he stated.


"Regulation, if done effectively, can prevent or at the minimum curtail 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)