Online Gambling Boom Sparks Require Ban In Philippines

Women, children and bad amongst victims


Lawmakers propose constraints or overall ban


Church lambastes 'moral and social crisis'


By Mariejo Ramos


MANILA, July 25 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Before assisting fellow bettors quit the roulette wheel or pass up the splendor of a royal flush in poker, Filipino Reagan Praferosa fought his own dependency - an enthusiasm that nearly 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 seven years.


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


"Gambling is an emotional illness. It only results in three places: jail, organization or death," said Praferosa, who produced a support system in 2011 for Filipinos with a gaming dependency.


The group, handled by five individuals, has assisted more than 300 individuals with online day-to-day meetings. Its members are as young as 13 and as old as 72.


Lawmakers and the Catholic Church worry that addiction is skyrocketing, with ever more gamblers drawn to online games, their need sped up by social-media advertisements and e-wallet platforms.


"The number of callers we got is 10 times more than usual. Before, callers were controlled by guys. Today they ´ re dominated by moms ... children too," stated Praferosa.


Several legislators have submitted bills looking for restrictions on online gaming, such as prohibiting the use of e-wallets that enable bigger, faster bets. Others want a total ban.


Online gambling has actually taken off rapidly in the Philippines, with federal 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 federal government's gaming regulator.


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


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


Gian Samson, a PAGCOR employee, said he backs a straight-out ban, claiming the human threats far surpass the financial benefits.


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


The chairman of PAGCOR, founded in 1977 to regulate gaming and stop illegal casinos, turns down an overall ban and instead prefers more stringent regulation.


GROWING PROBLEM


Former president Rodrigo Duterte ushered in online gaming in 2016, opening the door to primarily Chinese-owned firms that catered to consumers outside the country.


President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reversed track and enforced a restriction on the outdoors entities in 2015, pointing out a "grave abuse" of laws by the market.


However, domestic digital versions of conventional casino games, such as fruit machine, poker and roulette, are still allowed and can be accessed from mobile phones.


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


"They are giving Filipinos easy and practical access to gambling. In simply a tap of a button, you can diminish 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 children can use, he stated.


DigiPlus Interactive, operator of video gaming websites BingoPlus, ArenaPlus and GameZone, said banning licensed operators would "drive players towards unlawful, unregulated websites with no safeguards" along with struck some 50,000 employees in the sector.


"We are open to progressing and enhancing anywhere required. If there are new requirements to meet, or better ways to secure players, we will act quickly and properly," DigiPlus Chair Eusebio Tanco stated in a statement.


RECOVERY


The church has actually decried online betting as a "moral and social crisis" and required a restriction.


"It is now a public health crisis in our society, just like drug dependency, alcoholism and other types of addiction. It damages not just the individual however likewise their households," 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 almost no salary or savings and young people who are currently struggling with the expense of education in addition to other vulnerable individuals.


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


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


Gamban founder Matt Zarb-Cousin said 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 very first half of 2025.


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


He stated online casinos are associated with higher rates of dependency than conventional gambling, and about 80% of Gamban users play mostly slots.


"Everyone wants to make much better lives for themselves, and gambling is something that can completely ruin that in a really brief space of time," said 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 must be obligations put on gambling operators to protect customers adequately. And in my ideal world, there would not be as many individuals requiring Gamban," he stated.


"Regulation, if done effectively, can avoid or at the very least reduce online gambling 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)