Senator Erwin Tulfo will lead a Senate hearing on August 14 to address proposed laws aimed at curbing the harmful effects of online gambling in the country.
“I made a commitment to prioritize these bills because the problem is getting worse. It’s already a crisis, so this really needs to be addressed to solve the problem,” he said.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has cautioned against banning online gambling, saying it would only stoke illegal operations that would be harder to arrest, as the government and stakeholders such as the Catholic Church craft a policy to address its social impact.
“The problem is not online gambling. The problems are the social effects on our children and those who are addicted to gambling,” he said in a recent BBM Podcast. “The first effect of banning it fully is to put it underground, and then we have no control.” He said online gambling was “not a criminal enterprise” per se.
Tulfo, who chairs the Senate Committee on Games and Amusements, said he will still hear the views of government agencies such as the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation and the Department of Finance.
He noted that the discussions will weigh the economic benefits of online gambling against its social costs.
“We were not ready. There are no regulations, so people gamble without restraint. There’s no control over how much they can bet. Some even risk their entire salaries and wager on anything. Even children are now able to gamble,” Tulfo lamented. The Senate Games and Amusements panel is set to deliberate on four bills, three resolutions, and one privilege speech related to the issue.
Mr. Marcos said the government is still developing its policy on online gambling, underscoring the need for broad consultations to address its social impact especially among vulnerable sectors and young people. “We still have to form a policy on what we are going to do about online gambling,” he said. “To this end, I have already started to convene a conference of all stakeholders, from the Church, parents, regulators, because the victimized demographic is the youth.”
He drew a comparison to the debate over Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), saying licensed operations were not the issue, but rather the illegal activities that some operators became involved in. “POGO itself was not the problem… But it was accompanied by human trafficking, credit card scams, all sorts of things happening,” he said. “What we are trying to solve is the social impact – people drowning in debt, kids learning how to gamble. Let’s focus on that. How can we stop these from happening?”
“These are the things that we are going to examine and we will come up with a plan to make sure that we address the problem,” the President added.
Mamamayang Liberal party-list Rep. Leila de Lima meanwhile said she wants a total ban on all forms of online gambling.
“Clearly, online gambling is a growing menace that should be stopped and banned immediately. What are we waiting for? The damage on the family is getting worse because of online gambling? What date is it now? Stop it,” she emphasized.
She expressed her disappointment over the failure to mention online gambling during the past State of the Nation Address of President Marcos, amid the growing clamor against it.
She earlier filed House Bill No. 2129 or the Anti-Online or E-Gambling Act seeking the prohibition of online gambling.
Her proposed measure shall mandate relevant government agencies to conduct an all-out crackdown on illegal platforms and activities related to online gambling, similar to what the government did to POGOs.
Responding to the argument that online gambling provides billions in government revenue, De Lima reiterated that earnings from it are worthless if they come at the cost of ruining Filipino families, mental health, the future of the youth, and the moral fiber of the nation.
“It will be difficult to regulate online gambling as Filipinos, especially the youth, have easy access to technology and digital applications catering to these games. We need to put teeth into the law,” she said.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline: “Erwin Tulfo to lead Senate inquiry on online gambling next week”
