Filipino bishops, some lawmakers seek total ban for online gambling
The pandemic lockdown and the rise of digital wallets like GCash and Maya silently paved the way to the entry of online gambling. These e-wallets, originally meant to enable financial inclusion, gave millions of unbanked Filipinos access to cashless transactions, and soon to gambling platforms. The same tools that were used to pay for groceries and online goods were now being used to place bets.
According to the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor), from only P58.16 billion in 2023, GGR, or gross gaming revenue from e-games swelled to P154.51 billion in 2024 and P51.39 billion in the first quarter of 2025 alone. Online gambling is “making history” as the gaming industry’s “top revenue driver” contributing hugely for the government coffers. However, for some Filipinos, especially the poor, the story is different.
For every peso generated, which the government is not willing to let go, a Filipino is sinking deeper in poverty – crippled by debt, distressed and left with nothing but heartbreak. Ricardo (not his real name), was a worker who was bringing home P20,000 a month. He told INQUIRER.net that while this was barely enough, he, as well as his wife and three children, survived. But everything fell apart when he learned online gambling in 2020 because he got hooked with online sabong then with e-games.
Filipino bishops on Tuesday (July 8) began to warn the faithful against online gambling, calling it bagong salot or a new plague. In a statement signed by Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) President and Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio Cardinal David, the group described online gambling as a deep and widespread moral issue hiding in entertainment and technology. “With gambling, the conscience gradually becomes numb. We are taught to think that it is “normal,” “fun,” or “there is nothing wrong with it,” CBCP said.
The prelates noted that online gambling has become a public health crisis, comparing it to illegal drugs and other addictions, as it not only destroys a person but also a family’s relationship. “We cannot afford to remain silent because addiction and the prevalence of gambling are a plague, a virus that destroys and kills individuals, families and societies,” CBCP said. The bishops also called for regulations in online payment systems to restrict the public, especially the youth, from using them for online gambling.
Proposed legislations
Akbayan party-list Representatives Chel Diokno, Perci Cendaña, and Dadah Ismulla filed a measure restricting access to online gambling. Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Tuesday (July 8) proposed a bill that would impose strict regulations for online gambling in the country. Senator Risa Hontiveros filed a measure seeking to ban online gambling access in e-wallets and super apps. Senator JV Ejercito said that he may also consider pushing for a total ban of online gambling.
Meanwhile, Senator Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri also filed a bill seeking an outright ban on all forms of online gambling. Sen. Joel Villanueva likewise called for an
end to online gambling, describing the vice as a “growing national crisis.” During a press conference on July 15, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro was asked for reaction on the call of Senator Raffy Tulfo to totally ban online gambling. She said, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. will study the calls to ban online gambling.
Earlier, online gaming operators licensed with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) expressed opposition over proposals for a total ban on online gambling in the country. They warned that Filipinos might shift to unregulated sites on the black market. In a joint statement, the companies said they “are standing united with the PAGCOR and ‘forward-thinking’ lawmakers to call for stronger regulation — not a total ban — to keep Filipino players safe and the country’s economy thriving.
References: Filipino bishops call online gambling addiction ‘bagong salot or new plague’
