Senator Erwin Tulfo on Thursday urged regulators and broadcasters to reassess advertisements related to online gambling in an effort to curb rising addiction cases.
“The problem here is that while legal operators are being monitored, advertisements from illegal gambling operators continue to spread,” he said.
Tulfo, who chairs the Senate Committee on Games and Amusement, earlier called on the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, the Ad Standards Council, and the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) to strengthen oversight of gambling-related promotions.
The senator raised the issue during a meeting where officials reviewed possible measures to prevent harmful advertising practices.
Regulators explained that legal operators undergo a pre-clearance process for ads, but the system does not extend to unlicensed gambling platforms.
“Whether on radio or Facebook, you can still hear ads from platforms like 1xBet even if they are illegal,” the senator pointed out.
The agencies agreed to set stricter mechanisms ensuring that only responsible slogans and messages can be used in approved gambling advertisements.
However, both the Ad Standards Council and the KBP clarified that their authority does not extend to platforms like Facebook, TikTok, or YouTube, which follow separate internal guidelines.
Because of this, Tulfo announced that representatives from Meta, TikTok, and Google will be invited to the next Games and Amusement committee hearing scheduled for Sept. 11.
Tulfo recently filed Senate Bill 1304, or the Anti-Online Gambling Act, which seeks to outlaw the operation of gambling platforms and software, the placing of bets, advertising or promoting online gambling, and related financial transactions.
