Online Gambling Boom Sparks Require Ban In Philippines

Women, kids and bad amongst victims


Lawmakers propose limitations or overall ban


Church lambastes 'ethical and social crisis'


By Mariejo Ramos


MANILA, July 25 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Before assisting fellow bettors stopped the live roulette wheel or forgo the magnificence of a royal flush in poker, Filipino Reagan Praferosa combated his own dependency - an enthusiasm that nearly cost him his life.


Enthralled by the "big-shot identity" that included early casino success in Las Vegas and later 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 out to rehabilitation centers and after that attempted to take his own life.


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


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


and the Catholic Church stress that addiction is soaring, with ever more bettors drawn to online video games, their requirement sped up by social-media advertisements and e-wallet platforms.


"The number of callers we received is 10 times more than usual. Before, callers were controlled by men. Now they ´ re controlled by mothers ... kids too," stated Praferosa.


Several legislators have submitted costs seeking constraints on online gambling, such as prohibiting the use of e-wallets that enable larger, faster bets. Others want a total ban.


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


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


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


Gian Samson, a PAGCOR employee, stated he backs an outright ban, claiming the human risks far surpass the economic advantages.


"Online gaming should be stopped immediately, and we ought to determine what is legal or unlawful. It ´ s not contributing anything to our society," stated Samson, a representative of PAGCOR's employee association.


The chairman of PAGCOR, founded in 1977 to control video gaming and stop prohibited gambling establishments, declines an overall restriction and rather prefers more stringent regulation.


GROWING PROBLEM


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


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


However, domestic digital variations of traditional casino games, such as slots, poker and roulette, are still permitted and can be accessed from mobile gadgets.


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


"They are providing Filipinos easy and hassle-free access to gambling. In simply a tap of a button, you can deplete your life cost savings," he said.


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


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


"We are open to progressing and improving anywhere needed. If there are brand-new standards to meet, or much better methods to safeguard players, we will act promptly 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 restriction.


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


He stated online gaming harms bad Filipinos who have almost no wage or savings and youths who are currently dealing with the expense of education as well as other susceptible individuals.


In one Facebook healing group with more than 25,000 members, one user stated he attempted to stop by installing an online gambling blocking app called Gamban but stopped working to curb his dependency.


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


Gamban creator Matt Zarb-Cousin stated the Philippines is the app ´ s third-highest source of brand-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 prevalence of online betting, legal and prohibited," stated Zarb-Cousin.


He said online casinos are related to higher rates of dependency than traditional gaming, and about 80% of Gamban users play mainly slots.


"Everyone desires to make better lives on their own, and gambling is something that can entirely damage that in a very short area of time," said the previous betting addict.


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


"There must be duties put on gambling operators to safeguard customers sufficiently. And in my perfect world, there wouldn't be as lots of individuals needing Gamban," he stated.


"Regulation, if done properly, can avoid or at the extremely least 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)