Online Gambling Boom Sparks Require Ban In Philippines

Women, kids and bad 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 bettors stopped the live roulette wheel or pass up the magnificence of a royal flush in poker, Filipino Reagan Praferosa combated his own dependency - an enthusiasm that practically cost him his life.


Enthralled by the "big-shot identity" that came with early gambling establishment triumphes in Las Vegas and later in Manila, Praferosa went on to lose 50 million pesos ($873,515) in 7 years.


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


"Gambling is an emotional illness. It just results in three places: jail, institution or death," said Praferosa, who created a support system in 2011 for Filipinos with a gambling addiction.


The group, by 5 people, has actually helped more than 300 individuals 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 soaring, with ever more gamblers drawn to online games, their requirement 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. But now they ´ re dominated by moms ... children too," stated Praferosa.


Several legislators have filed costs looking for constraints on online gaming, such as forbiding making use of e-wallets that make it possible for bigger, much faster bets. Others desire a total ban.


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


It represented about half of the federal government ´ s total video gaming earnings up until now this year.


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


Gian Samson, a PAGCOR worker, stated he backs a straight-out ban, declaring the human risks far surpass the financial advantages.


"Online gaming need to be stopped immediately, and we must determine 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 gambling establishments, rejects an overall restriction and instead favors stricter guideline.


GROWING PROBLEM


Former president Rodrigo Duterte introduced online gaming in 2016, unlocking to mainly Chinese-owned companies that catered to customers outside the country.


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


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


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


"They are providing Filipinos simple and hassle-free access to betting. 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 incomes through popular e-payment apps that even children can use, he said.


DigiPlus Interactive, operator of gaming websites BingoPlus, ArenaPlus and GameZone, said prohibiting licensed operators would "drive gamers towards unlawful, unregulated websites without any safeguards" as well as struck some 50,000 workers in the sector.


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


RECOVERY


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


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


He stated online gaming harms bad Filipinos who have almost no income or savings and young people who are already fighting with the cost of education as well as other susceptible people.


In one Facebook recovery group with more than 25,000 members, one user stated he attempted to stop by setting up an online betting obstructing app called Gamban however stopped working to suppress his addiction.


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


Gamban creator Matt Zarb-Cousin said the Philippines is the app ´ s third-highest source of new signups, after Brazil and Britain, showing a rise 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 occurrence of online gaming, legal and prohibited," said Zarb-Cousin.


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


"Everyone desires to make better lives for themselves, and gaming is something that can completely damage that in a really brief area of time," said the former gambling addict.


In countries 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 gambling operators to protect customers sufficiently. And in my ideal world, there would not be as many individuals requiring Gamban," he stated.


"Regulation, if done correctly, can prevent or at the very least reduce online gaming 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)