The Philippine Senate building (PNA file photo by Avito Dalan)
MANILA – Senators on Thursday pressed regulators to tighten controls and weigh an outright ban on online gambling, warning that addiction and related crimes are eroding Filipino families, communities, and values.
Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, author of Senate Bill No. 47 or the “Anti-Online Gambling Act,” said the lure of instant wealth pushed many into debt, despair, and crime.
At the Senate Committee on Games and Amusement hearing led by Senator Erwin Tulfo, Villanueva cited cases of a woman who sold her home after losing millions of pesos, a 19-year-old student with over PHP500,000 in unpaid bets, minors stealing from their parents, and a police officer committing armed robbery to settle debts.
“May mga kabataan po na hindi pa nga pwedeng bumoto, pero araw-araw exposed na sa sugal (There are young people who cannot even vote yet, but are already exposed to gambling daily),” Villanueva said.
“Sa sugal po ay hindi lang pera ang itinataya — pati kinabukasan ng pamilyang Pilipino (In gambling, it’s not just money at stake — it’s also the future of the Filipino family),” he added.
Senator Pia Cayetano, who also filed a bill for a total ban, questioned whether surging revenues — from PHP58 billion in 2023 to PHP154 billion in 2024 — are worth the social cost.
“Is it worth it? How many young people will lose their way? How many families do we sacrifice? How many lives are worth the extra revenue to the government?” she asked, citing a recent suicide of a 22-year-old in Benguet over gambling debts.
Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, chair of the Senate Banks, Financial Institutions, and Currencies Committee, warned that the normalization of gambling undermines values and the government’s trillion-peso investment in education.
He cited Taguig City’s long-standing anti-gambling ordinance as a model and questioned why the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) gave e-wallet operators 48 hours to remove gambling links when the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) confirmed it could be done instantly.
“Kung may mamatay ng 48 hours kasi nalulong doon, okay lang sa atin o sayang kita (If someone dies within 48 hours because of gambling addiction, is that fine with us or is it just about the revenue?),” he said.
Senator Rodante Marcoleta called e-gambling a “social ogre” born of a breakdown in regulatory control, and asked the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) to submit a list of licensed operators, their beneficial owners, and the games they run.
PAGCOR chair Alejandro Tengco has committed to providing details for nearly 70 licensees.
Marcoleta also urged the BSP to suspend all e-wallet links to gambling platforms, a move BSP Deputy Governor Mamerto Tangonan confirmed has been approved by the Monetary Board.
Tulfo, who led the hearing, accused PAGCOR of allowing the shift from Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) to Philippine Inland Gaming Operators (PIGOs) without adequate safeguards, warning that whether legal or illegal, online gambling is “destroying our lives.”
He cited suicides, broken homes, and job losses as consequences of addiction, and pushed for either tighter controls or an outright ban.
From Sept. 2022 to Aug. 6, 2025, the Department of Finance recorded 11,985 illegal online gambling sites, over 3,000 of which remain active.
PAGCOR’s August 14 presentation showed that online gaming now accounts for nearly 60 percent of its income, with projected license fee revenues of PHP60 billion in 2025.
Tengco defended PAGCOR’s framework for PIGOs, citing the 21-year-old age limit, strict Know Your Customer checks, and mandatory certification of games by US- and Macau-based firms to ensure fairness.
He said PIGOs were allowed to draw players away from unregulated platforms but admitted that the industry’s rapid growth has outpaced enforcement.
“Magtatapat po kami na talagang nagahabol din kami (We admit that we are indeed trying to catch up),” he said.
The panel has given the BSP until Sunday morning to ensure the removal of all gambling applications embedded in e-wallet platforms, warning of potential contempt charges if the deadline is not met.
Senator Erwin Tulfo pressed BSP’s Payments Policy and Oversight Department head Ruel Bumatay to commit to a definitive timeline to take down illicit gambling links and features from e-wallets operating in the country.
He reminded the BSP that the Senate is treating the issue as a serious national concern.
Bumatay assured the panel of compliance, adding that the BSP would also sanction personnel involved in any failure to act. (PNA)