Online Gambling Boom Sparks Require Ban In Philippines

Women, kids 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 helping fellow bettors quit the live roulette wheel or forgo the magnificence of a royal flush in poker, Filipino Reagan Praferosa battled his own addiction - a passion that practically cost him his life.


Enthralled by the "big-shot identity" that featured early gambling establishment victories 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 to rehab centers and then attempted to take his own life.


"Gambling is an emotional disease. It only leads to 3 locations: jail, organization or death," said Praferosa, who created a support system in 2011 for Filipinos with a gaming addiction.


The group, handled by five people, has actually helped more than 300 individuals with online daily conferences. Its members are as young as 13 and as old as 72.


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


"The number of callers we received is 10 times more than normal. Before, callers were dominated by guys. And now they ´ re controlled by moms ... kids also," said Praferosa.


Several legislators have actually submitted costs looking for limitations on online gambling, such as restricting using e-wallets that make it possible for bigger, quicker bets. Others desire an overall restriction.


Online gaming has actually removed rapidly in the Philippines, with federal government revenues from taxes and costs paid by local operators for the first quarter estimated at 51 billion pesos, ($892 million) according to news reports mentioning information from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), the government's video gaming regulator.


It represented about half of the government ´ s total gaming incomes so far this year.


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


Gian Samson, a PAGCOR staff member, stated he backs an outright restriction, declaring the human risks far surpass the financial benefits.


"Online gambling should be stopped immediately, and we ought to determine what is legal or illegal. It ´ s not contributing anything to our society," stated Samson, an agent of PAGCOR's staff member association.


The chairman of PAGCOR, established in 1977 to manage gaming and stop unlawful gambling establishments, declines an overall restriction and instead prefers more stringent policy.


GROWING PROBLEM


Former president Rodrigo Duterte ushered in online gambling in 2016, unlocking to mostly Chinese-owned firms that dealt with customers outside the country.


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


However, domestic digital versions of conventional gambling establishment games, such as slots, poker and roulette, are still allowed and can be accessed from mobile gadgets.


While online gaming is legal, Samson said regulators have actually 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 gaming. In just a tap of a button, you can deplete your life 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 stated.


DigiPlus Interactive, operator of gaming sites BingoPlus, ArenaPlus and GameZone, stated prohibiting would "drive players towards unlawful, unregulated websites with no safeguards" along with struck some 50,000 employees in the sector.


"We are open to developing and enhancing wherever required. If there are brand-new requirements to fulfill, or better ways to secure gamers, we will act quickly and responsibly," DigiPlus Chair Eusebio Tanco said in a statement.


RECOVERY


The church has decried online gambling as a "moral and social crisis" and required a ban.


"It is now a public health crisis in our society, much like drug dependency, alcoholism and other types of dependency. It destroys not just the person but likewise their families," Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, said in a pastoral letter.


He stated online gambling hurts bad Filipinos who have almost no wage or cost savings and youths who are already struggling with the cost of education as well as other vulnerable people.


In one Facebook healing group with more than 25,000 members, one user said he attempted to visit installing an online gaming blocking app called Gamban however failed to curb his addiction.


Gamban, a software application company based in Britain, can be installed on individual gadgets to block online betting sites.


Gamban creator 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 betting, legal and illegal," stated Zarb-Cousin.


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


"Everyone wants to make much better lives on their own, and gambling is something that can totally damage that in an extremely short area of time," stated the previous gambling addict.


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


"There need to be obligations placed on betting operators to safeguard customers adequately. And in my ideal world, there wouldn't be as numerous people requiring Gamban," he said.


"Regulation, if done effectively, can avoid or at the very least curtail online gaming 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)