Online Gambling Boom Sparks Require Ban In Philippines

Women, children and poor amongst victims


Lawmakers propose restrictions or overall ban


Church lambastes 'moral and social crisis'


By Mariejo Ramos


MANILA, July 25 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Before helping fellow bettors stopped the live roulette wheel or forgo the splendor of a royal flush in poker, Filipino Reagan Praferosa battled his own dependency - a passion that almost cost him his life.


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


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


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


The group, managed by 5 people, has actually assisted more than 300 individuals with online everyday conferences. Its members are as young as 13 and as old as 72.


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


"The number of callers we got is 10 times more than usual. Before, callers were dominated by males. And now they ´ re dominated by mothers ... children too," said Praferosa.


Several legislators have actually submitted costs seeking restrictions on online betting, such as forbiding using e-wallets that enable bigger, much faster bets. Others want an overall ban.


Online betting has actually taken off quickly in the Philippines, with federal government revenues from taxes and fees paid by local operators for the first quarter estimated at 51 billion pesos, ($892 million) according to report pointing out data from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), the government's gaming regulator.


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


A minimum of 80 electronic gaming operators have licences in the Philippines, according to PAGCOR.


Gian Samson, a PAGCOR staff member, said he backs a straight-out ban, declaring the human dangers far outweigh the financial advantages.


"Online gaming need to be stopped instantly, and we should 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, established in 1977 to control video gaming and stop prohibited casinos, declines an overall restriction and rather prefers stricter policy.


GROWING PROBLEM


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


President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reversed track and imposed a restriction on the outside entities in 2015, citing a "serious abuse" of laws by the market.


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


While online betting is legal, Samson stated regulators have failed to limit the market or who can access these video 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 savings," he said.


Players can sign up with a game, then withdraw all their revenues through popular e-payment apps that even kids can use, he said.


DigiPlus Interactive, operator of gaming websites BingoPlus, ArenaPlus and GameZone, stated banning certified operators would "drive gamers toward prohibited, unregulated websites with no safeguards" along with hit some 50,000 workers in the sector.


"We are open to evolving and improving anywhere required. If there are brand-new requirements to fulfill, or better ways to secure players, we will act swiftly and responsibly," DigiPlus Chair Eusebio Tanco said in a declaration.


RECOVERY


The church has actually decried online betting as a "ethical and social crisis" and called for a restriction.


"It is now a public health crisis in our society, similar to drug dependency, alcohol addiction and other kinds of addiction. It ruins not just the individual 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 gaming harms bad Filipinos who have practically no income or savings and young individuals who are currently fighting with the expense 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 come by setting up an online gambling obstructing app called Gamban however stopped working to curb his dependency.


Gamban, a software application supplier based in Britain, can be set up on individual devices to block online gambling sites.


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


"It may be driven by the frequency of online gaming, legal and illegal," stated Zarb-Cousin.


He stated online gambling establishments are associated with greater rates of addiction than traditional gambling, and about 80% of Gamban users play mainly slots.


"Everyone wants to make much better lives on their own, and betting is something that can entirely ruin that in a really brief space of time," said the former gaming addict.


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


"There must be responsibilities placed on gambling operators to protect customers sufficiently. And in my ideal world, there would not be as lots of people requiring Gamban," he said.


"Regulation, if done appropriately, can prevent or at the very least cut 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)