GCash is rolling out new features to promote responsible online gaming, including a self-exclusion feature, increased friction to access gaming sites, and new user notifications. These changes align with efforts from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and PAGCOR to protect consumers and minors.
GCash, the mobile wallet of Globe Telecom, said Wednesday it will roll out new features to promote responsible online gaming amid calls from lawmakers to bar gambling sites from linking directly to digital wallets.
The changes also align with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) plan to issue a circular to protect consumers by placing various limits on gaming access.
“We are very supportive, and we do promote responsible gaming,” said Globe chief financial officer Juan Carlo Puno in a virtual briefing.
“We have proper controls in place to make sure that anyone under 21 [years old]… we bar them from actually participating in any of the licensed gaming,” he said.
Puno said this is “very much consistent with PAGCOR [Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.] rules.”
Puno said GCash is implementing measures to promote responsible gaming, including active notifications and informational materials for users. These reminders are shown upon entering GLife and when clicking on specific gaming merchants.
“If in the past it took you three clicks to get to the website of the gaming merchants, it will now take you around five clicks,” Puno said.
“So there is some additional friction to go into the websites of the gaming merchants,” he said.
He said GCash would also introduce a new “self-exclusion” feature, allowing users to temporarily or permanently restrict their ability to engage in gaming activities on the platform.
“They have the ability to set up their own top-up limits in terms of amounts as well as frequency,” Puno said.
“So these are the things that we’re actually rolling out to promote responsible gaming,” he said.
