Online Gambling Boom Sparks Calls For Ban In Philippines

Women, children and poor amongst victims


Lawmakers propose limitations or overall ban


Church lambastes 'ethical and social crisis'


By Mariejo Ramos


MANILA, July 25 ( Foundation) - Before helping fellow bettors stopped the live roulette wheel or give up the glory of a royal flush in poker, Filipino Reagan Praferosa fought his own addiction - an enthusiasm that almost cost him his life.


Enthralled by the "big-shot identity" that featured early gambling establishment success in Las Vegas and later on 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 rehabilitation centers and after that attempted to take his own life.


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


The group, managed by five individuals, has actually assisted more than 300 individuals with online day-to-day meetings. Its members are as young as 13 and as old as 72.


Lawmakers and the Catholic Church worry that addiction 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 usual. Before, callers were dominated by guys. But now they ´ re dominated by mothers ... children also," stated Praferosa.


Several legislators have submitted costs looking for constraints on online gambling, such as prohibiting using e-wallets that make it possible for bigger, quicker bets. Others want a total restriction.


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


It accounted for about half of the federal government ´ s overall gaming earnings up until now this year.


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


Gian Samson, a PAGCOR employee, said he backs a straight-out restriction, declaring the human risks far exceed the financial advantages.


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


The chairman of PAGCOR, founded in 1977 to control gaming and stop unlawful gambling establishments, turns down an overall ban and instead favors more stringent policy.


GROWING PROBLEM


Former president Rodrigo Duterte introduced online betting in 2016, unlocking to mostly Chinese-owned firms that accommodated customers outside the country.


President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reversed track and enforced a ban on the outdoors entities in 2015, citing a "severe abuse" of laws by the market.


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


While online gaming is legal, Samson stated regulators have stopped working to limit the industry or control who can access these video games, as is mandated.


"They are offering Filipinos simple and convenient access to betting. In just a tap of a button, you can deplete your life savings," he said.


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


DigiPlus Interactive, operator of gaming sites BingoPlus, ArenaPlus and GameZone, said prohibiting certified operators would "drive gamers toward prohibited, uncontrolled websites without any safeguards" as well as hit some 50,000 employees in the sector.


"We are open to progressing and enhancing anywhere needed. If there are new requirements to satisfy, or much better ways to protect players, we will act promptly and properly," DigiPlus Chair Eusebio Tanco said in a declaration.


RECOVERY


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


"It is now a public health crisis in our society, similar to drug addiction, alcohol addiction and other kinds of dependency. It damages not just the individual however likewise their households," Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, said in a pastoral letter.


He stated online gambling injures poor Filipinos who have almost no income or savings and youths who are currently dealing with the expense of education in addition to other susceptible individuals.


In one Facebook healing group with more than 25,000 members, one user said he tried to visit setting up an online betting blocking app called Gamban however failed to suppress his dependency.


Gamban, a software provider based in Britain, can be set up on individual gadgets to block online betting websites.


Gamban creator Matt Zarb-Cousin stated the Philippines is the app ´ s third-highest source of 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 might be driven by the frequency of online betting, legal and illegal," stated Zarb-Cousin.


He said online casinos are related to greater rates of dependency than conventional betting, and about 80% of Gamban users play mostly slots.


"Everyone desires to make better lives on their own, and betting is something that can entirely ruin that in a really short area of time," said the previous gambling addict.


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


"There must be obligations put on gambling operators to secure consumers sufficiently. And in my perfect world, there would not be as many people needing Gamban," he said.


"Regulation, if done properly, can prevent or at the minimum cut online betting 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)