Online Gambling Boom Sparks Calls For Ban In Philippines

Women, kids and poor 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 stopped the roulette wheel or forgo the glory of a royal flush in poker, Filipino Reagan Praferosa battled his own addiction - an enthusiasm 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 seven years.


He was imprisoned for theft to cover the financial obligation, sent out to rehab centers and after that attempted to take his own life.


"Gambling is a psychological disease. It only results in 3 locations: jail, organization or death," stated Praferosa, who created a support system in 2011 for Filipinos with a gambling dependency.


The group, managed by five people, has actually helped 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 fret that addiction is soaring, with ever more bettors drawn to online video games, their need sped up by social-media advertisements and e-wallet platforms.


"The variety of callers we got is 10 times more than usual. Before, callers were dominated by males. And now they ´ re controlled by mothers ... children as well," stated Praferosa.


Several legislators have filed bills seeking restrictions on online betting, such as prohibiting the usage of e-wallets that enable bigger, quicker bets. Others want an overall ban.


Online gambling has actually removed rapidly in the Philippines, with government profits from taxes and charges paid by local operators for the first quarter estimated at 51 billion pesos, ($892 million) according to report pointing out information from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), the federal government's gaming regulator.


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


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


Gian Samson, a PAGCOR employee, said he backs an outright restriction, declaring the human risks far outweigh the economic benefits.


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


The chairman of PAGCOR, established in 1977 to control gaming and stop prohibited casinos, rejects an overall ban and rather favors stricter regulation.


GROWING PROBLEM


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


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


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


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


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


Players can join a game, then withdraw all their incomes through popular e-payment apps that even children can use, he stated.


DigiPlus Interactive, operator of video gaming websites BingoPlus, ArenaPlus and GameZone, stated prohibiting certified operators would "drive gamers toward prohibited, unregulated sites without any safeguards" along with struck some 50,000 workers in the sector.


"We are open to evolving and enhancing wherever required. If there are new requirements to meet, or better ways to secure players, we will act promptly and responsibly," DigiPlus Chair Eusebio Tanco stated in a .


RECOVERY


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


"It is now a public health crisis in our society, simply like drug addiction, alcohol addiction and other kinds of dependency. It ruins not only the individual but also their families," 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 practically no income or cost savings and young people who are currently having problem with the expense of education as well as other vulnerable individuals.


In one Facebook recovery group with more than 25,000 members, one user said he tried to drop in installing an online gaming blocking app called Gamban but failed to curb his dependency.


Gamban, a software company based in Britain, can be installed on individual gadgets to block online gaming websites.


Gamban creator Matt Zarb-Cousin said the Philippines is the app ´ s third-highest source of brand-new signups, after Brazil and Britain, reflecting 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 frequency of online gambling, legal and illegal," said Zarb-Cousin.


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


"Everyone wishes to make much better lives for themselves, and betting is something that can entirely destroy that in a really brief space of time," said the former gambling addict.


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


"There need to be responsibilities put on gambling operators to secure consumers sufficiently. And in my ideal world, there wouldn't be as lots of people needing Gamban," he said.


"Regulation, if done appropriately, can prevent or at the really least reduce online betting 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)