Says total ban, not regulation, needed to curb social impact
THE leader of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said the group will not participate in the government’s call for a multi-stakeholder “conclave” meeting if the aim is to regulate online gambling instead of imposing a total ban.
This as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier said the government will develop its policy on online gambling through broad consultations to address its social impact, especially among vulnerable sectors and young people, without necessarily resorting to a total ban.
CBCP president and Kalookan Archbishop Pablo David said they remain committed to addressing the moral implications associated with online gambling activities.
“If the purpose of the consultation is to regulate rather than outright ban online gambling, then we are not interested,” the CBCP leader told reporters in an interview.
PAGCOR earlier said the government earns more than P100 billion from online gambling, which it said also provides 32,000 direct jobs, and thousands more from its ancillary businesses, including security guards, messengers, and other industries.
David, however, said the social issues that stem from online gambling far exceed the billions it adds to government revenue.
He said the government does not need a policy to regulate e-gambling since these activities are meant to be banned.
The President earlier cautioned against banning online gambling, saying it would only stoke illegal operations that would be harder to arrest.
“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,” the President added.
He said online gambling was “not a criminal enterprise” per se.
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.
Last week, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said it is finalizing new rules that will protect consumers from the risks associated with online gambling.
Strict identity verification, including biometric checks such as facial recognition, would ensure that only eligible individuals can use their funds for online gambling, the BSP said.
Daily limits on gambling-related transfers to reduce excessive financial losses will also be included in the new rules.
The BSP said the upcoming measures would also include time-based restrictions on gambling payments to help curb impulsive behavior and user tools for setting personal spending caps, taking voluntary breaks, or self-exclusion from gambling transactions.
“These safeguards aim to reduce the risks of addiction, fraud, and financial harm, while promoting the responsible use of digital financial services,” the BSP said.
