Online Gambling Boom Sparks Calls For Ban In Philippines

Women, kids and poor among victims


Lawmakers propose constraints or total ban


Church lambastes 'ethical and social crisis'


By Mariejo Ramos


MANILA, July 25 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Before helping fellow gamblers quit the live roulette wheel or pass up the magnificence 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 triumphes in Las Vegas and later in Manila, Praferosa went on to lose 50 million pesos ($873,515) in 7 years.


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


"Gambling is a psychological disease. It only leads to three locations: jail, institution or death," said Praferosa, who developed an assistance group in 2011 for Filipinos with a gaming addiction.


The group, managed by five individuals, has assisted more than 300 people 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 video games, their need accelerated by social-media advertisements and e-wallet platforms.


"The variety of callers we got is 10 times more than normal. Before, callers were dominated by males. Today they ´ re dominated by mothers ... kids too," stated Praferosa.


Several legislators have actually filed costs seeking constraints on online gaming, such as forbiding making use of e-wallets that enable bigger, quicker bets. Others desire an overall ban.


Online betting has actually taken off rapidly in the Philippines, with federal government earnings from taxes and costs paid by local operators for the first quarter approximated at 51 billion pesos, ($892 million) according to news reports 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 video 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 staff member, said he backs a straight-out ban, claiming the human threats far exceed the financial benefits.


"Online gambling should be stopped immediately, and we should identify what is legal or illegal. It ´ s not contributing anything to our society," said Samson, a representative of PAGCOR's staff member association.


The chairman of PAGCOR, established in 1977 to control video gaming and stop unlawful casinos, declines an overall ban and rather prefers stricter guideline.


GROWING PROBLEM


Former president Rodrigo Duterte ushered in online gaming in 2016, unlocking to mostly Chinese-owned companies that dealt with customers outside the nation.


President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reversed track and imposed a restriction on the outside entities last year, mentioning a "serious abuse" of laws by the market.


However, domestic digital variations of standard casino games, such as slot devices, poker and live roulette, are still allowed and can be accessed from mobile devices.


While online gaming 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 providing Filipinos easy and hassle-free access to betting. In simply a tap of a button, you can deplete your life cost savings," he said.


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


DigiPlus Interactive, operator of gaming sites BingoPlus, ArenaPlus and GameZone, stated prohibiting certified operators would "drive players towards illegal, unregulated sites with no safeguards" in addition to struck some 50,000 employees in the sector.


"We are open to progressing and improving anywhere needed. If there are new requirements to meet, or much better ways to protect gamers, we will act quickly and responsibly," DigiPlus Chair Eusebio Tanco stated in a statement.


RECOVERY


The church has actually decried online gaming as a "moral and social crisis" and called for a ban.


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


He stated online betting injures bad Filipinos who have nearly no income or cost savings and youths who are already battling with the expense of education as well as other vulnerable individuals.


In one Facebook healing group with more than 25,000 members, one user said he attempted to drop in setting up an online gambling obstructing app called Gamban but failed to his dependency.


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


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


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


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


"Everyone desires to make much better lives for themselves, and gaming is something that can entirely destroy that in an extremely short area of time," said the previous gambling 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 betting operators to protect consumers adequately. And in my ideal world, there wouldn't be as many individuals requiring Gamban," he stated.


"Regulation, if done properly, can prevent or at least reduce online betting 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)