Senate Deputy Minority Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri threw his support behind the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) after it announced tighter restrictions on payment service providers (PSPs) tied to online gambling operators, saying the move strikes at the root of a growing social problem in the country.
In a statement on Thursday, the senator said the BSP’s proposed circular shows that regulators are beginning to match the urgency of lawmakers who have been warning against the unchecked spread of online betting platforms.
He stressed that reining in payment channels is crucial because accessibility is what has allowed gambling to creep into ordinary households and lure even the most vulnerable sectors.
“I applaud the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas on its decisive move to enforce tighter restrictions on payment service providers engaged in online gambling payment services. This BSP circular strengthens our move to lessen, if not eliminate, the accessibility of online gambling to the average Filipino,” Zubiri wrote.
Under the proposed circular, PSPs will be prohibited from providing links to online gambling websites, aligning with earlier BSP directives that required e-wallet operators to sever connections with such platforms.
“If we cut the problem at the root, if we make online gambling sites less accessible, then we will be saving a lot of people from a lot of trouble,” Zubiri added.
