Top lawmakers on Thursday called for unified and decisive action against online gambling, warning that addiction cases are surging and regulations remain fragmented.
During a Senate committee hearing, Senator Risa Hontiveros urged the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to coordinate their efforts instead of working separately.
“With more people becoming addicted to online gambling, they must work together to further tighten access to online gambling,” she said.
“I hope they can also clarify who is truly responsible for policing online gambling linked to e-wallets and super apps. This is why we need a law to ensure a coordinated, whole-of-government response to online gambling, so that each agency does not act on its own,” the senator added.
Hontiveros said her Kontra E-Sugal Bill aims to ban direct links between e-wallets or super apps and online gambling platforms to curb easy access to betting.
She warned that digital payments have made gambling “portable” and dangerously convenient, with some users falling into debt or taking their own lives.
The senator argued that administrative measures are not enough, pushing for a comprehensive law that would create lasting barriers between users and gambling platforms.
“As it is, so many Filipinos still slip through the policy gaps in online gambling regulations. Self-regulation and even the restrictions of regulatory bodies are not enough. A new law must discipline online gambling,” she said.
Senate Committee on Games and Amusement chairperson Erwin Tulfo echoed her sentiments and issued a warning to BSP Deputy Governor Mamerto Tangonan, threatening contempt charges if gambling app links remain on e-wallets after August 17.
“I’m taking your word on this. We’ll give you actually more than 48 hours. So, Sunday morning, we will not see online gambling games anymore and no more links of any sort will be accessible on e-wallets,” the senator said.
Tulfo reported that the Senate is leaning toward a total ban, arguing that the social harms far outweigh potential revenue. “If you ask us, we want to stop online gambling right here, right now. But we will hear every side,” he said.
Senator Alan Peter Cayetano criticized the BSP for granting e-wallet operators 48 hours to remove gambling site links from their platforms, questioning why the order was issued only on the day of the Senate hearing.
“You circulated a proposal to the e-wallet companies and waited for their reply, then only today did you issue the order? Because there is a hearing today?” he asked.
Cayetano said he personally verified that gambling links were still present in an e-wallet app and challenged regulators to act faster, noting that the Department of Information and Communications Technology confirmed such links could be removed immediately.
“We’re not passing the blame to the Central Bank; we are sharing the blame. I have received complaints that some e-wallets are even being used for illegal activities. Having said that, it is a bigger problem. I found it lacking political will,” he said.
The BSP explained that the two-day grace period was meant to allow companies to remove in-app links and give users time to withdraw funds from online gambling accounts.
Meanwhile, Senator Rodante Marcoleta questioned whether regulators are prepared to enforce a total ban, noting that illegal gambling like jueteng has persisted for decades.
He pressed PAGCOR to reveal the beneficial owners of top online gambling operators, which allegedly control more than 80 percent of the market.
PAGCOR Chairman Alejandro Tengco committed to submitting the list of all licensed operators and their owners to the Senate committee.
Marcoleta also proposed that the BSP suspend all e-wallet links to gambling platforms immediately as a temporary safeguard.
During the same hearing, Senator Joel Villanueva cited harrowing cases, including a woman who lost millions of pesos, sold her home, and maxed out credit cards due to addiction, as well as a 19-year-old student buried in more than half a million pesos in gambling debt.
He also recalled reports of students stealing from parents and a police officer resorting to armed robbery because of unpaid online betting losses.
“Every day, people are not just risking their hard-earned money. They are putting their futures, families, and lives on the line. The lure of instant wealth has already led many down a path of addiction, debt, and despair,” he lamented.
Villanueva warned that gambling platforms, embedded in widely used mobile apps, employ manipulative design features to prolong play and encourage compulsive behavior, making them accessible to minors despite existing regulations.
Senator Pia Cayetano framed the policy debate as a choice between banning and regulating online gambling, pointing to rising cases of debt-driven suicides, addiction, and mental health issues among the youth.
She questioned whether the current scale of gambling addiction existed five or ten years ago, and whether the government’s focus on tax revenue outweighed the social costs.
“They argue that the gambling business will just go underground. But do we even consider that with technology, we cannot even regulate it properly, we cannot even keep up. So what exactly are we going to regulate? We are not quick to regulate, we are not quick with technology,” the senator said.
Senator JV Ejercito said it is “game over” for e-wallet users engaging in online gambling, calling the removal of direct links to e-wallets a long-awaited step.
The senator stressed that e-wallet apps should be strictly regulated to prevent them from enabling gaming platforms, adding that their ease of access through GCash, Maya, and similar services fueled the rapid spread of online gambling.
“They must immediately comply and disconnect their link to online gambling. It is time to put an end to the victimization of ordinary Filipinos,” he said.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian also warned that students, including senior high schoolers, are now getting caught up in online gambling.
“There is truly a failure of regulation on the part of the government because our school owners are seeing children playing online gambling,” he said.
Gatchalian stressed that whether the responsibility lies with PAGCOR or the BSP, both have fallen short in addressing the risks.
Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri described the situation as a national crisis, pointing to a 5,564 percent surge in online gambling revenues from P8 billion in 2022 to P135.71 billion in 2024, with over P106 billion already in the first half of 2025.
He warned that these figures reflect not just profits but broken families, drained savings, and lives lost, noting that the Philippines has now surpassed Macau, Cambodia, Vietnam, and South Korea as the region’s top gambling hub.
“Number one in gambling. It is shameful and disappointing, and this is only for brick-and-mortar casinos. With online gambling, we might even surpass the number one spot,” he lamented.
Zubiri said the boom is fueled not by wealthy tourists, but by ordinary Filipinos, from market vendors to students, and identified e-wallet integration as the main driver.
The senator added that gambling addiction is now overtaking drug addiction in some rehabilitation centers, with surveys showing the majority of respondents engaged in online betting.
Lawmakers agreed that the rapid spread of online gambling demands urgent, coordinated, and enforceable measures from all concerned agencies.
