Online Gambling Boom Sparks Calls For Ban In Philippines

Women, kids and poor amongst victims


Lawmakers propose or overall restriction


Church lambastes 'ethical and social crisis'


By Mariejo Ramos


MANILA, July 25 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Before assisting fellow bettors quit the roulette wheel or pass up the magnificence of a royal flush in poker, Filipino Reagan Praferosa battled his own addiction - a passion that nearly 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 imprisoned for theft to cover the financial obligation, sent to rehab centers and after that attempted to take his own life.


"Gambling is a psychological disease. It just results in three places: prison, organization or death," stated Praferosa, who produced a support system in 2011 for Filipinos with a gaming addiction.


The group, handled by 5 people, has assisted more than 300 individuals with online day-to-day 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 need accelerated by social-media advertisements and e-wallet platforms.


"The number of callers we received is 10 times more than normal. Before, callers were controlled by guys. But now they ´ re controlled by mothers ... children as well," stated Praferosa.


Several lawmakers have actually submitted expenses looking for constraints on online gambling, such as prohibiting making use of e-wallets that allow larger, faster bets. Others want an overall restriction.


Online gaming has removed quickly in the Philippines, with federal government revenues 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 federal government's video gaming regulator.


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


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


Gian Samson, a PAGCOR employee, stated he backs a straight-out ban, claiming the human risks far outweigh the economic advantages.


"Online gaming need to be stopped instantly, and we ought to identify 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, founded in 1977 to control gaming and stop unlawful casinos, turns down an overall ban and instead favors more stringent guideline.


GROWING PROBLEM


Former president Rodrigo Duterte introduced online betting in 2016, opening the door to mainly Chinese-owned firms that dealt with clients outside the country.


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


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


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


"They are providing Filipinos simple and practical access to betting. In simply a tap of a button, you can diminish your life cost savings," he stated.


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


DigiPlus Interactive, operator of gaming websites BingoPlus, ArenaPlus and GameZone, said prohibiting certified operators would "drive gamers toward unlawful, uncontrolled sites with no safeguards" along with hit some 50,000 employees in the sector.


"We are open to developing and enhancing any place needed. If there are new standards to satisfy, or better methods to protect players, we will act quickly and properly," DigiPlus Chair Eusebio Tanco said in a statement.


RECOVERY


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


"It is now a public health crisis in our society, much like drug dependency, alcoholism and other kinds of dependency. It ruins not only the individual 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 betting harms poor Filipinos who have almost no salary or cost savings and youths who are already having problem with the cost of education in addition to other susceptible people.


In one Facebook healing group with more than 25,000 members, one user stated he attempted to drop in setting up an online gaming obstructing app called Gamban but stopped working to curb his addiction.


Gamban, a software service provider based in Britain, can be installed on personal gadgets to block online gambling websites.


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


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


"Everyone desires to make better lives on their own, and betting is something that can completely ruin that in a really short area of time," stated the former gaming addict.


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


"There must be duties put on betting operators to secure customers adequately. And in my ideal world, there would not be as many individuals requiring Gamban," he stated.


"Regulation, if done correctly, can avoid or at the really least reduce online betting 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)