Gambling has been one of the most prominent issues the country has been facing for many years. It got to a point where the government had to impose stricter rules on physical and online gaming.
And while in most cases, it is the ordinary people who have succumbed to the charms and attractiveness of online gambling, several well-known personalities and celebrities have also dipped their hands into the games. Some of them even confessed that they have been addicted to it at some point.
Take a look at some of the celebrities who confessed to their gambling addictions in this gallery:
Comedian-host MC "Muah" Calaquian recently opened up about his painful history with online gambling. In an interview with actress Toni Gonzaga on Toni Talks, he shared he lost more than PhP 10 million to gambling.
MC shared that going to the casino started out as a coping mechanism after losing his parents. MC Recalled, "Ako nauna kasi uuwi ako after ng comedy bar. Saan ako pupunta? Baka hindi ako makatulog. So, may naghikayat sa 'kin. Sabi niya, 'Ito o para maaliw ka,' sa casino. Iba ang saya 'pag papunta ka pa lang doon, masaya."
Together with his friend, Lassy Marquez also lost big time in casinos, also to cope for the loss of his father. In the same interview, he shared that their visits to the casino became more and more frequent, even pushing til the next day.
Lassy revealed that they would even go to work with no sleep, playing at night until the next day, only to go home to take a bath before going to their next show.
MC shared that his turning point came when he decided to stop going to the casinos and seriously save up for a house in 2018. Lassy, meanwhile, was forced to stop and take a step back due to the mounting financial strain and debts. Finally, they got their financial freedom back.
Transgender beauty queen Lars Pacheco also admitted in a Facebook video about getting addicted to online gambling. What started as a simple curiosity about online sabong became an addiction she could not stop.
Lars had already lost PhP 600,000 to just online sabong before she went to other online gambling platforms. Her turning point came when she realized that she was already lying to her friends just to support her addiction. In the end, she urged everyone already in the habit to stop, "habang maaga pa."
Former SexBomb Girls manager and mentor Joy Cancio recently admitted on Fast Talk with Boy Abunda that she became addicted to playing with the "one-armed bandit" of the casino. She admitted that she became overwhelmed with the popularity that the girl group was gaining, and became saddened after receiving negative comments from netizens.
Joy admitted that she became addicted to gambling, playing to win more when winning, and playing to get back what she lost. However, it came to a point that she gave up, drinking medicine to end it all. But when it came to it, she prayed to the Lord to save her, and she survived. Since then, she has not gambled anymore and has become closer to God instead.
Former actress Azenith Briones became the talk of the town when she went missing in 2024, after a friend reported her disappearance to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). However, in an interview with Julius Bababo, she revealed that she was in rehab due to her kids' belief that she's addicted to gambling.
While Azenith admitted that she does go to the casino to play, she clarified that she was not addicted to playing. Instead, she's there because of her jewelry business. According t o the former actress, she buys the jewelry pawned at the casino and sells it back to the market. However, she's promised her kids that she will take more care of her health and will stop going to the casino.