Philippines debates fate of online gambling: to ban or not to ban?

Regulators have defended the sector’s economic contributions even as health experts warn it exploits the vulnerable and deepens poverty

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The Philippines is considering a ban on online gambling, with several bills proposing a total ban and others calling for restrictions on e-wallet top-ups, celebrity endorsements and advertising. Photo: Europa Press via Getty Images

Published: 2:30pm, 22 Aug 2025

The Philippines is weighing a total or partial ban on online gambling as analysts warn that the booming industry – once hailed for fuelling school-building and social programmes – is fast becoming a public health crisis that exploits the poor and vulnerable.

Dozens of bills are now under committee review in Congress, with 10 proposing a total ban and 30 calling for restrictions on e-wallet top-ups, celebrity endorsements and advertising.

The push gained fresh momentum on Sunday when the central bank ordered local e-wallets to delink from gaming apps – a move industry sources said halved some platforms’ daily revenues overnight. As scrutiny intensified, regulators defended the sector’s economic contributions.

“Online gaming is regulated and is a valuable source of income for nation building,” argued Jessa Fernandez, head of the Offshore Gaming and Licensing Department of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor), during a Senate hearing on August 14.

Gross gaming revenues for e-gambling reached 156 billion pesos in 2024, according to official data. Photo: Shutterstock

E-gambling is now Pagcor’s sunrise industry, growing from 12.91 billion pesos in gross gaming revenues (GGR) in 2020 to 154 billion pesos (US$2.7 billion) in 2024, Department of Finance data showed. GGR is gross income net of payouts.

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