BSP gives e-wallets 48 hours to unlink from online gambling sites

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on Thursday said it has ordered e-wallets to take down icons and links of online gambling platforms within 48 hours. 

BSP Deputy Governor Mamerto Tangonan made the announcement during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Games and Amusement, saying that the directive was given within the day.

By Sunday, he said, e-wallets should be disconnected from online gaming platforms.

“The Monetary Board of the [BSP] has approved our policy that we asked or we order, direct the BSP supervising institutions to take down and remove all icons and links redirecting to gambling sites,” Tangonan said. 

Panel chairman Erwin Tulfo warned that he will cite the BSP official in contempt if he finds by Sunday morning that e-wallet providers still have links to online gambling platforms. 

“‘Huwag niyong biru-biruin ang komiteng ito. We have a problem, we have a crisis. Hindi ito basta-basta. When you say huling oras ng Saturday [ang deadline], sige pagbibigyan kita hanggang Sunday. ‘Pag Sunday morning meron pa ring mga games sa e-wallets, iko-contempt ka namin,” the younger Tulfo said.

(Don't take this committee lightly. We have a problem, we have a crisis. When you say that the deadline is on Saturday, I'll give you until Sunday. If there are still games in e-wallets on Sunday morning, we will cite you in contempt.) 

Several lawmakers, including Senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Joel Villanueva, questioned why it would take 48 hours to implement when it could be done right away.

Why the grace period?

Cayetano questioned the grace period and asked the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) if it is possible to remove the links immediately. The DICT confirmed it was possible.

“Why do we give them 48 hours pa kung sure naman kayo? Kung may mamatay ng 48 hours kasi nalulong doon, okay lang sa atin or sayang lang kita?” said Cayetano, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Banks, Financial Institutions, and Currencies.

(What if someone dies during the 48 hours because of the gambling habit? Will it be okay or will be bothered by the profit?) 

Villanueva said that 48 hours “is not acceptable” when the lives of the public are put at risk. 

“We provided 48 hours because…we want to give time to the BSP’s supervising institutions to take down those in-app links and icons to the online gambling sites," Tangonan said.

"The other reason is so that we can also provide time for the customers, consumers to withdraw their funds from the online gaming account once they learn that we are already removing the links from the mobile payment applications and websites,” he added.

Cayetano asked why the BSP acted only on the day of the Senate hearing on online gambling.

The senator said he checked a staff member’s phone and saw that links to online gambling were still available in the e-wallet app.

Tangonan admitted that it was only that day when the BSP gave e-wallet companies 48 hours to remove the links.

Cayetano said the BSP had already circulated a proposal to e-wallet operators in July. He said complaints that e-wallets are being used for illegal online gambling.

“I know sa banking, very conservative, you have a very good reputation. Nag-circulate kayo ng proposal sa mga e-wallet at hinintay niyo pa ang kanilang reply, tapos today lang kayo nag-order? Kasi may hearing today?” he said.

(You circulated a proposal for e-wallets, and you waited for their reply. It's only today that you issued the order. Why? Because we have a hearing?)

Ready to comply

Mobile wallet GCash, operated by G-Xchange Inc. (GXI), said it would "fully comply" with the BSP's directive to remove links and icons that connect payment apps to online gambling platforms.

"We share the BSP’s commitment to ensuring that digital financial services are used responsibly and in ways that protect the welfare of Filipinos," GCash said.

It added, "Once we receive the official directive, we will immediately enforce the necessary changes to ensure compliance and safeguard our users."

Meanwhile, e-wallet Maya likewise said it is "ready to comply" with the BSP order, while assuring that its platform will continue to be reliable for its clients.

"The update will be implemented in line with the BSP’s guidance. We assure customers that their accounts and transactions remain secure and fully operational," Maya said.

"We remain focused on serving our customers while fully complying with regulatory requirements," it added," it added.

Generation of gambling 'addicts'

The Senate Committee on Games and Amusement is holding a joint public hearing with the Committees on Banks, Financial Institutions and Currencies; Youth; Economic Affairs; and Ways and Means amid the calls in the Congress for the total ban or strict regulation of online gambling in the country. 

In his opening speech, Tulfo stressed how online gambling—whether legal or illegal, licensed or unlicensed—is destroying the lives of Filipinos.

“The truth is harsh, but it must be spoken—as long as online gambling exists, we are breeding the next generation of addicts, debtors, and broken families. No amount of tax revenue can justify this human cost,” the first-term senator said.

He also called out the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) for “fueling this epidemic" by allowing continued licensing of online gambling operators. 

Tulfo also asked the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) how online gambling platforms continue to operate freely, when the agency is supposed to give the public digital protection. 

Senator Risa Hontiveros, who earlier filed a bill seeking to ban online gambling access in e-wallets and super apps, also appealed to government agencies, particularly PAGCOR and the BSP, to act as one in their efforts to regulate online gambling in the country. 

“Inaasahan kong mabibigyan din nila ng linaw kung sino nga ba talaga ang dapat namumulis sa mga online sugal na naka-link sa e-wallets at super apps. Kaya nga kailangan natin ng batas para masiguradong coordinated at whole-of-government ang tugon sa online sugal, para hindi na magkanya-kanya ang bawat ahensya,” she said. 

(I hope we can also clarify who should be policing online gambling that is linked to e-wallets and super apps. That's why we need a law to ensure a coordinated and whole-of-government response to online gambling, so that each agency will no longer be on its own.)

Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri said that the gross gaming revenues (GGR) climbed from P8 billion in 2022, to P33.16 billion in 2023, and eventually P135.71 billion in 2024.

According to Zubiri, the GGR has reached P106.53 billion in just the first half of 2025.

“Mr. Chair, to illustrate: from 2020 to 2024, the industry grew by 5,564 percent. Unbelievable. And yet it is real,” Zubiri said. 

Malacañang earlier said the government had shut down 7,000 unauthorized gaming websites, citing concerns related to online gaming addiction. —VAL/VBL/VDV, GMA Integrated News