Online Gambling Boom Sparks Calls For Ban In Philippines

Women, kids and bad among victims


Lawmakers propose constraints or overall restriction


Church lambastes 'moral and social crisis'


By Mariejo Ramos


MANILA, July 25 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Before assisting fellow gamblers gave up the roulette wheel or forgo the splendor of a royal flush in poker, Filipino Reagan Praferosa fought his own addiction - an enthusiasm that practically cost him his life.


Enthralled by the "big-shot identity" that came with early gambling establishment 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 then attempted to take his own life.


"Gambling is an emotional disease. It only leads to 3 locations: prison, organization or death," said Praferosa, who developed a support group in 2011 for Filipinos with a betting addiction.


The group, managed by five individuals, has 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 fret that dependency is skyrocketing, with ever more gamblers drawn to online games, their requirement accelerated by social-media ads and e-wallet platforms.


"The number of callers we got is 10 times more than usual. Before, callers were controlled by males. Now they ´ re controlled by moms ... children as well," stated Praferosa.


Several legislators have actually submitted bills looking for limitations on online gambling, such as prohibiting the usage of e-wallets that enable bigger, quicker bets. Others want a total restriction.


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


It represented about half of the federal government ´ s overall gaming revenues so far this year.


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


Gian Samson, a PAGCOR employee, stated he backs an outright restriction, declaring the human dangers far surpass the financial advantages.


"Online betting must be stopped instantly, and we must determine what is legal or illegal. It ´ s not contributing anything to our society," said Samson, a representative of PAGCOR's worker association.


The chairman of PAGCOR, founded in 1977 to control gaming and stop prohibited gambling establishments, declines a total restriction and rather favors more stringent regulation.


GROWING PROBLEM


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


President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reversed track and imposed a ban on the outside entities in 2015, pointing out a "serious abuse" of laws by the industry.


However, domestic digital variations of standard casino games, such as fruit machine, poker and roulette, are still permitted and can be accessed from mobile phones.


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


"They are offering Filipinos simple and hassle-free access to betting. In just a tap of a button, you can diminish your life cost savings," he said.


Players can join a video game, then withdraw all their incomes 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 toward illegal, uncontrolled sites without any safeguards" along with struck some 50,000 employees in the sector.


"We are open to developing and enhancing wherever required. If there are new standards to fulfill, or better methods to protect gamers, we will act swiftly and responsibly," DigiPlus Chair Eusebio Tanco said in a statement.


RECOVERY


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


"It is now a public health crisis in our society, simply like drug dependency, alcoholism and other kinds of dependency. It ruins not only the person however likewise their families," Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, said in a pastoral letter.


He stated online gambling harms bad Filipinos who have practically no salary or savings and young people who are currently battling with the cost of education in addition to other vulnerable people.


In one Facebook recovery group with more than 25,000 members, one user stated he attempted to come by installing an online gaming obstructing app called Gamban however failed to suppress his dependency.


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


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 may be driven by the frequency of online gaming, legal and prohibited," said Zarb-Cousin.


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


"Everyone wishes to make much better lives on their own, and betting is something that can totally destroy that in an extremely brief area of time," said 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 put on betting operators to protect consumers adequately. And in my perfect world, there would not be as lots of people needing Gamban," he said.


"Regulation, if done correctly, can avoid or at least curtail online gambling substantially." (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)