Lawmakers eye restrictions, ban on online gambling

Lawmakers are split on how to deal with the proliferation of online gambling and casinos, with some eyeing restricting access while others call for a total ban.

Akbayan party-list Representatives Chel Diokno, Perci Cendaña, and Dadah Ismulla filed House Bill 1351 restricting access to online gambling or the Kontra e-Sugal Act.

Under the proposal, access to online gambling or casinos will be limited by imposing the following measures:

• establishment of strict age verification protocols
• prescribing limits on advertising and promotion
• implementing a national- self-exclusion registry
• imposing betting loss limits
• prescribing minimum guidelines for player protection
• creating a harm mitigation levy
• recognize gambling disorder as a public health condition
• banning campaign contributions from gambling operators and
• implement strict penalties for unlicensed operators and non-compliant persons.

“Online gambling is accessible anytime, anywhere and often anonymously, making it particularly addictive and harmful to minors, persons who may be vulnerable to the lure of gaining easy money, and those desperate to make ends meet. Online gambling thus poses unique and costly risks, not only for those who gamble but also their families, communities, and Philippine society,” the authors said in their explanatory note.

“The absence of regulatory controls has led to a rise of gambling-related problems, including financial meltdowns, family breakdowns, gambling addiction, depression, and other mental health issues. The Kontra e-Sugal Act of 2025 seeks to establish a framework to regulate online gambling in the Philippines [while being able to] safeguard public welfare, protect vulnerable groups, and ensure responsible gambling practices,” the lawmakers added.

Likewise, the Akbayan lawmakers said their proposal is in accordance to the constitutional provision mandating the State to “promote a just and dynamic social order that will ensure the prosperity and independence of the nation and free the people from poverty through policies that provide adequate social services, promote full employment, a rising standard of living, and an improved quality of life for all."

“Presently, there is no law specifically regulating online gambling platforms in the country. The State, in the exercise of its inherent police power, must act decisively to protect the physical, mental, and social well-being of its citizens from the growing harms associated with online gambling. Hence, this proposed legislation,” they added.

But for Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Adiong, there should be a total ban on online gambling.

“As it is, anyone can do that (gambling) with a smartphone. If you want to cut a tree, do not just trim the branches. Go to the very root of the problem,” Adiong said.

“The possible benefits that you get does not actually outweigh the negative effects that you have. Any measure that would affect the moral fiber of our society should be prioritized,” he added.

Back in August 2024, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) chief Al Tengco told lawmakers that the agency is studying to revive e-sabong, an online gambling rooted in longstanding tradition of cockfighting matches in the Philippines, because e-sabong brought in as much as P6 billion worth of government revenues within a year before it was banned by the Duterte administration in 2022.

E-sabong was banned in 2022 due to the problems also being raised against online gambling now.

Senate

At the Senate, lawmakers are also divided on whether to legislate the total ban of online gambling in the Philippines or just regulate it. 

Senator Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri on Monday filed his 10 priority measures in the 20th Congress, topped by a bill seeking an outright ban on all forms of online gambling which includes digital betting platforms, mobile applications, and websites that allow users to place wagers through electronic devices. 

Under the proposed Anti-Online Gambling Act of 2025, internet service providers, mobile network operators, and digital platforms are mandated to block access to gambling websites and remove related apps within 72 hours upon notice from the Department of Justice or Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation. 

Digital wallets and payment service providers such as credit cards, GCash, Paymaya and the like are also barred from facilitating transactions related to online gambling. 

The bill imposes stiff penalties, including fines and imprisonment, on individuals and operators who violate the ban.

At a press conference, Zubiri called on President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to act on the issue, saying that it will show great leadership if he will put an end to online gambling for the Filipinos. 

He said the government may lose P47 billion in the first quarter of the year should online gambling be completely banned. Despite this, the senator underscored the need to remove such “type of sickness in our society” which has been affecting families and the youth.  

“It’s getting out of hand, so I appeal to the President—Mr. President, let’s do something about this,” Zubiri said. 

“That income is not enough justification for the social ills that it will cause our country. Before you leave in 2028 at hindi po natin aksyunan ito [and if we don’t act on this], our country might be in a worse position than what you entered in in 2022,” he added. 

He said he is hopeful that Marcos will make a statement against online gambling in his upcoming fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 28. 

“Hindi motu proprio, pwede ring, ‘Let us allow the Congress to study the ill effects of online gaming. Give me the report and I will act on it as soon as possible.’ ‘Yan ang magandang statement. Sana [sabihin], para ma-enganyo tayo,” he said. 

(It doesn’t have to be motu proprio. He can just ask the Congress to study the ill effects of online gaming, and say that he will act on the report as soon as possible. That would be a good statement. I hope he will include that in his speech to encourage us.) 

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian last Tuesday proposed a measure that would only impose strict regulations for online gambling in the country. He said he would not push for the total ban of online gambling to prevent providers from going underground.

Senator JV Ejercito also called for urgent and stricter government regulation of online gambling, pointing out that its societal cost is “dangerously high.”

Meanwhile, Senators Joel Villanueva and Pia Cayetano also included in their priority bills the Anti-Online Gambling Act. 

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, on the other hand, filed a bill that aims to ban all forms of advertising, marketing, and promotion of online gambling in the Philippines. —AOL, GMA Integrated News