Online Gambling Boom Sparks Calls For Ban In Philippines

Women, children and bad among victims


Lawmakers propose limitations or total ban


Church lambastes 'moral and social crisis'


By Mariejo Ramos


MANILA, July 25 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Before assisting fellow bettors quit the live roulette wheel or pass up the glory of a royal flush in poker, Filipino Reagan Praferosa fought his own dependency - an enthusiasm that almost cost him his life.


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


He was jailed for theft to cover the debt, sent to rehabilitation centers and then tried to take his own life.


"Gambling is an emotional disease. It only results in 3 locations: prison, institution or death," said Praferosa, who produced a support system in 2011 for Filipinos with a betting addiction.


The group, managed by 5 people, has actually assisted more than 300 people with online day-to-day meetings. 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 bettors drawn to online video games, their need accelerated by social-media advertisements and e-wallet platforms.


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


Several lawmakers have actually filed costs seeking limitations on online gaming, such as restricting making use of e-wallets that allow bigger, faster bets. Others want an overall ban.


Online gambling has actually taken off rapidly in the Philippines, with federal government revenues from taxes and charges 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 government's video gaming regulator.


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


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


Gian Samson, a PAGCOR worker, said he backs a straight-out restriction, declaring the human threats far surpass the economic advantages.


"Online gambling need to be stopped immediately, and we need to identify what is legal or unlawful. It ´ s not contributing anything to our society," stated Samson, an agent of PAGCOR's employee association.


The chairman of PAGCOR, founded in 1977 to manage video gaming and stop prohibited casinos, rejects an overall restriction and instead prefers more stringent regulation.


GROWING PROBLEM


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


President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reversed track and imposed a ban on the outside entities last year, citing a "severe abuse" of laws by the industry.


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


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


"They are giving Filipinos easy and convenient access to betting. In just a tap of a button, you can diminish 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 children can utilize, he said.


DigiPlus Interactive, operator of gaming websites BingoPlus, ArenaPlus and GameZone, said prohibiting certified operators would "drive players towards unlawful, uncontrolled sites without any safeguards" as well as hit some 50,000 workers in the sector.


"We are open to evolving and enhancing any place required. If there are brand-new standards to fulfill, or much better methods to protect gamers, we will act swiftly and properly," DigiPlus Chair Eusebio Tanco said in a declaration.


RECOVERY


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


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


He said online gambling injures poor Filipinos who have practically no income or cost savings and youths who are currently fighting with the expense of education along with other susceptible people.


In one Facebook healing group with more than 25,000 members, one user said he tried to stop by installing an online gambling obstructing app called Gamban but stopped working to curb his addiction.


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


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


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


He stated online gambling establishments are connected with higher rates of addiction than conventional gaming, and about 80% of Gamban users play mostly slots.


"Everyone wishes to make better lives for themselves, and betting is something that can completely destroy that in a really short space of time," stated the previous gaming addict.


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


"There need to be duties put on betting operators to safeguard customers adequately. And in my ideal world, there would not be as lots of people needing Gamban," he stated.


"Regulation, if done correctly, can prevent or at the really least reduce online betting significantly." (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)