Stringent rules on online gaming pushed

Imposing stricter regulations on internet gaming is a more "prudent course of action" for all stakeholders than a total ban, according to Atty. Renato Paraiso, deputy executive director of the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC).

The CICC, an agency under the Department of Information and Communications Technology, is actively working to eliminate illegal online gambling sites.

Paraiso warned that an absolute ban could drive even licensed and regulated platforms underground, making law enforcement efforts a "protracted hide-and-seek" to apprehend them.

He also highlighted the significant revenue generated for government projects and thousands of jobs for Filipino workers as important factors against a complete ban.

Paraiso stressed that establishing clear "guardrails" for online gambling is a shared responsibility of all stakeholders, including regulators, internet providers, platform operators, and parents, to protect minors and prevent addiction.

He stated the CICC is on track to suppress the proliferation of illegal internet gambling sites.

"With the help of the concerned public and our partners in law enforcement, the CICC is inching its way to the total eradication of the illicit cyber gaming platforms," Paraiso said.

He also cited recent accomplishments, noting the CICC has significantly escalated efforts to dismantle illegal internet gambling networks across the country.

These operations have led to the arrest of foreign nationals, seizure of fraudulent digital infrastructure, and closure of several offshore gaming hubs masquerading as legitimate enterprises.

On 19 March 2025, the CICC, in coordination with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, led a major operation in Makati City.

This operation resulted in the arrest of 131 individuals, including 96 foreign nationals, who were allegedly operating an illegal online gambling platform under the guise of a software service provider.

Authorities confiscated digital forensic evidence, including mobile phones, laptops, SIM cards, IDs, and company documents, at the scene.

The CICC also played a vital role in the 16 February 2025, arrest of three Chinese nationals in Santa Rosa, Laguna, who were linked to an illegal gambling and online prostitution syndicate.

This operation, conducted with the Bureau of Immigration and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, targeted high-risk foreign nationals in regions outside Metro Manila, demonstrating the CICC’s expanded operational coverage.

As part of sustained efforts since the beginning of 2025, the CICC has supported cybercrime intelligence operations that led to the arrest of at least 5,099 individuals involved in cyber-related crimes from January to mid-June 2025.

A significant portion of these arrests reportedly involved former personnel of illegal gambling networks previously associated with Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators.

Of those arrested, 608 individuals were caught through entrapment operations, with 116 already convicted, according to coordinated agency reports.

The CICC also continues to expose and block infrastructure used by illegal gambling syndicates, including SIM card fraud and unregistered e-wallet operations.

This supports its broader mandate under the Cybercrime Prevention Act to disrupt online-based criminal activity, particularly those exploiting digital channels to operate clandestine gambling enterprises.

These developments are part of the government’s intensified crackdown following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s policy direction to phase out illegal offshore gaming hubs and penalize associated cyber operations.

The CICC remains a key player in the interagency fight against organized cybercrime, with a primary focus on online gambling, digital fraud, and syndicated exploitation of the Philippine telecommunications system.