President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has defended his decision not to mention online gambling in his recent State of the Nation Address, saying that his administration is focusing on a comprehensive approach to address its social impact rather than pushing for an outright ban.

In a podcast episode Thursday, Marcos stressed the need for a multi-sectoral discussion to regulate the rapidly growing industry.

“We still have to form the policy on what we are going to do about online gambling,” Marcos said. “I have already started to organize a conference of all the stakeholders.”

Marcos said the stakeholders will include members of the clergy, particularly from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, as well as parents, regulators and other concerned groups. He noted that children and vulnerable individuals are among those most affected by the harms of online gambling.

“The parents, of course, are stakeholders here because the victimized demographic is the youth,” he said, expressing concern about children’s exposure and the risk of financial ruin for lower-income groups.

The President cautioned that an outright ban could drive online gambling underground and make it more difficult to regulate.

“The first effect of banning it fully is to put it underground, and then we have no control,” said the President.

Marcos also distinguished online gambling from Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators, or POGOs, which he had previously moved to curb. He said the problem with POGOs was not the gambling itself, but the associated crimes like human trafficking, scams and prostitution. He reiterated that the core issue with online gambling is not the activity itself, but its damaging effects, particularly addiction and its influence on young people.