The government should impose a ban on online gambling advertisements amid the rising concern about the impact of digital gambling platforms on families, youth, and vulnerable sectors, a group said.
“Online gambling is a silent epidemic,” said lawyer Nicasio Conti, CEO of Capstone-Intel Corporation, a research group.
“It is available 24/7, targets the most financially at-risk, and is being disguised as entertainment. The glamorization of gambling through aggressive ads is normalizing addiction and destroying lives quietly,” Conti, former Commissioner of the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission, added.
He urged PAGCOR, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the Department of Information and Communications Technology, as well as the Congress to work together to establish safeguards similar to those adopted in other developed nations where online gambling is regulated.
Conti’s call came as the government intensified its efforts to shut down thousands of illegal online gambling websites operating across the country.
Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro earlier said the government has shut down 7,000 unauthorized online gaming websites.
Conti underscored the need for a multi-agency approach to protect the public from what he branded as a “systemic and evolving threat.”
“Our laws must evolve to meet the realities of the digital age,” Conti said. “Gambling can no longer be treated as a private vice—it is a public issue with far-reaching consequences on mental health, poverty, and corruption.” —Anna Felicia Bajo/LDF, GMA Integrated News