Zubiri: Imposing tax not answer to ills of online gambling

Senator Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri said Tuesday that imposing tax on online gambling is not enough to address the problems it brings to society. 

This, as Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said that President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. will study the proposal of the Department of Finance (DOF) to tax online gaming in a bid to restrict it. 

The DOF is eyeing to propose a tax on online gaming as well as other policies to curb unrestricted access to gambling, including digital gambling platforms.

Zubiri, who earlier filed a bill seeking an outright ban on all forms of online gambling including digital betting platforms, mobile applications, and websites that allow users to place wagers through electronic devices, said that the government should look at what happened to the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) when it was taxed. 

“We passed a law taxing POGO operations in the country and it did not stop the moral scourge to society. Lalong lumala ang mga sindikato at human trafficking cases sa bansa,” the senator said in a statement. 

(The syndicates and human trafficking cases in the country got worse when we taxed POGO.) 

“So taxing them is not an answer to the social ills it will cause our kababayans. Kumikita lang tayo sa pag-gigipit at paghihirap ng ating mga mamamayan [We only make money from the oppression and suffering of our countrymen]. In English, we’re profiting from the misery of our people. Kawawa naman and ating bansa,” he added. 

Ban access in e-wallets, super apps

For her part, Senator Risa Hontiveros filed a bill seeking to ban online gambling access in e-wallets and super apps in response to the growing clamor for tighter regulations on such games.

“Phones are not casinos. Naging masyadong madali ang malulong sa sugal dahil napaka-accessible nito sa mga e-wallets at super apps,” Hontiveros said in a statement. 

(Phones are not casinos. It has become very easy to get addicted to gambling as it is very accessible through e-wallets and super apps.) 

“Napakarami sa ating mga kababayan ang nabaon sa patong-patong na utang dahil sa e-sugal na lalong pinadali ng mga e-wallets. Para sa iba, buhay ang naging kapalit, dahil isang pindot lang ang kailangan,” she added. 

(Many of our countrymen are buried in debt because of e-gambling that is made easier by e-wallets. Lives of others may also be put at risk because all it takes is a click.) 

The bill also prohibits those aged below 21 from online gambling platforms and bans the advertisement of online gambling in public spaces, tri-media, and social media.

It also mandates the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), to set daily, weekly, and monthly betting and loss limits, which when reached will trigger the suspension of gaming accounts for a minimum of 30 days.

Meanwhile, Senator JV Ejercito, who earlier called for urgent and stricter government regulation of online gambling, said that he may consider pushing for its total ban depending on the results from studies. 

“Initially to restrict muna using e-wallets. But later on, titingnan natin kasi wala pa tayong data as of now kung ano talaga ang epekto nito, gaano karami na yung nalulong, nasira,” he said.

(Initially, we are pushing for its restrictions using e-wallets. But later on, we’ll see about that, if we have data regarding its effects and how many got addicted because of it.)

“So it depends kung talagang matinding matinding problema na, then probably we can go from regulatory, we can consider total ban on online gaming kung talagang maging malala na,” he added.

(So it depends if the problem is really serious, then we can probably go from regulatory to considering its total ban.) 

Ejercito also filed on Tuesday a resolution directing the appropriate committee in the Senate to conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, into the rapid proliferation of online gambling in the country.

The country’s gaming industry saw its total revenues grow to P104.12 billion in the first quarter of 2025, up 27.44% year-on-year, driven for the first time by the growing popularity of electronic games among Filipinos. 

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), meanwhile, welcomed proposed measures seeking to put stricter regulations on online gambling.  — RSJ/RF, GMA Integrated News