Secretary Go: Raise online betting minimums to curb gambling among poor

Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs Frederick Go has proposed raising the minimum bets in online gambling to discourage poor individuals and families from placing wagers, saying that requiring a large upfront capital would deter participation.

“The regulation that I believe should be seriously considered is raising the minimum bet and raising the minimum entry point. Let’s say instead of a P1 bet, it can have a minimum bet of, let’s say, P100. That already reduces the frequency by putting the minimum bet of P100,” Go said during the Economics Journalists Association of the Philippines Economic Forum 2025 at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas in Manila on Monday.

Go also suggested implementing a minimum entry fee for gambling sites, similar to Singapore’s system. “So, for example, you cannot enter the platform with P100 and make a P100 bet. Because it means you enter, and you’re betting everything you have. There should be a minimum entry level,” he explained.

Among his other proposals were stricter know-your-customer (KYC) rules for all online gaming platforms, including limiting access to players aged 21 and older. He also pushed for a perpetual ban on government employees from participating in online gambling, requiring them to register on any platform by submitting their National IDs. “The platforms can be stricter,” Go added.

Finance Secretary Ralph Recto, meanwhile, acknowledged the difficulty of banning online gambling outright, citing the substantial revenues it generates for the government, particularly for healthcare and education. “I am against online gambling. I do not gamble to begin with. But I think PAGCOR is generating at least P100 billion in gaming revenues, more or less P50 billion on online gaming, and it would appear that is growing,” Recto said.

Go, however, placed the figure even higher, saying that PAGCOR’s revenue from online gaming this year is over P60 billion, with the gross gaming revenue of the state regulator expected to exceed P200 billion in 2025.

This week, the Senate is set to hear various bills on the strict regulation or total ban of online gambling in the country. According to the schedule released by the Public Relations and Information Bureau of the Senate, committee hearings on August 14 will take up Senate Bill Nos. 30, 47, and 142, or the Anti-Online Gambling Act, filed by Senators Pia Cayetano, Alan Peter Cayetano, Joel Villanueva, and Juan Miguel Zubiri.

Also on the agenda are Senate Bill No. 57, or the Online Regulatory Act, filed by Senator Win Gatchalian; PS Resolution No. 12, on the proliferation of online gambling and lending in the Philippines, by Senator JV Ejercito; PS Resolution No. 19, on the engagement of learners in online gambling, by Senator Gatchalian; and PS Resolution No. 26, on online gambling operations, by Senator Camille Villar. The hearings will be followed by a privilege speech on online gambling by Senator Zubiri.

Earlier, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. stressed that his administration would convene all concerned sectors for a “conclave” to craft a comprehensive policy on online gambling, with a particular focus on its socio-economic impact. He said the consultation will include the Church, educators, parents, the police, addiction experts, and other stakeholders.