The Marcos administration is still reviewing the wider implications of total ban on all forms of online gambling, amid rising calls to impose the prohibition over numerous cases of Filipinos falling into financial problems due to “gambling addiction.”
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin gave this response when asked if this is something that may be announced by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. during his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA)—similar to what he did when he outlawed Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs) last year.
“Well, the policy remains the same… the President is very strong about POGOs, which were already banned,” Bersamin told reporters in a chance interview Sunday after President Marcos left for Washington D.C. in the United States for an official visit.
Bersamin clarified that while the ban on POGOs stands, other forms of online gaming that are not linked to scams or online fraud are still under study.
“We are still looking into it because we have to see all the ramifications that gaming of that method may be allowed to operate,” he added.
Meanwhile, Bersamin said the President has taken a “hands-on” approach in crafting his fourth annual report to the nation on July 28, 2025.
“You know the President is very focused on these things because he really loves to communicate to the people the work that he has been doing, that the Cabinet has been doing, that the entire government has been doing,” the Executive Secretary said.
President Marcos is set to deliver his fourth SONA next week at Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City.
