Gatchalian seeks stricter regulation of online gambling

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Tuesday proposed a measure that would impose strict regulations for online gambling in the country as part of efforts to address the growing gambling addiction especially among the youth.

Gatchalian, however, said the bill which he listed as one of his 10 priority measures in the 20th Congress, would not push for the total ban of online gambling to prevent providers from going underground.

“Ang salient points nito, pagbabawalan na gumamit ng GCash sa online gambling, tataasan ang age from 18 to 21, tapos ang minimum bet is P10,000, ang top up is P5,000,” he said.

(Among its salient points are that the use of GCash for online gambling will be prohibited, the age will be increased from 18 to 21, then the minimum bet is P10,000, the top up is P5,000.)

“Naglagay rin kami ng penal provision, kapag hindi ginawa ng mga regulatory agencies ang trabaho nila, pwede silang kasuhan at matanggal sa trabaho at pwede rin silang makulong,” he added.

(We also put in place a penal provision, if regulatory agencies do not do their job, they can be sued and fired and they can also be imprisoned.)

The unnumbered bill also bans gambling sponsorships of public events and campaign donations, and mandates regulators to allocate a portion of collected regulatory fees for the establishment of gambling addiction rehabilitation centers.

Last month, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said the government has shut down 7,000 unauthorized online gaming websites.

Also included in Gatchalian’s priority bills in the 20th Congress is the Three-Year College Education Act, which aims to capacitate the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in allowing flexibility for degree programs to be completed in not more than three academic years.

The proposed measure provides that all general education courses shall be integrated and completed at the senior high school level, and seeks to ensure students’ readiness to go to college and provide them more time for internship and advanced specialization. — BAP, GMA Integrated News