The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on Thursday ordered electronic wallet providers to sever their links to online gambling platforms within 48 hours, following a Senate hearing that underscored the growing social toll of digital betting in the Philippines.

BSP Deputy Governor Mamerto Tangonan told senators yesterday the Monetary Board had approved a policy directing BSP-supervised institutions to remove all icons and links to gambling sites. The order primarily affects leading e-wallets GCash and Maya, which must comply by Sunday, 17 August.

The move came after Senator Rodante Marcoleta urged the delinking, calling e-gambling a “social ogre” born from regulatory lapses.

Senator Erwin Tulfo, chair of the Senate Committee on Games and Amusement, warned Tangonan he would be charged with contempt if the gambling links remained after 17 August.

“If I see a single link to gambling apps, I will cite you in contempt. The committee is serious — we have a problem, we have a crisis,” Tulfo said, adding that social harms far outweigh tax revenues.

He cited cases of students dropping out, workers losing their productivity, families falling into debt, and even suicides linked to gambling addiction.

“Behind the glossy advertisements is a multi-billion-peso industry that thrives on addiction,” Tulfo said.

From September 2022 to August 2025, authorities identified 11,985 illegal gambling sites, more than 3,000 of which remain active, Tulfo added.

Research by the Senate Economic Planning Office showed the gross gaming revenues of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) surged 309 percent in 2024, largely from e-casino.

PAGCOR chairperson and CEO Alejandro Tengco said the agency supports the BSP’s directive.

“If this is one of the ways to reduce the social ills, then there is no problem with PAGCOR. We will help in implementing the delinking,” Tengco said, noting that illegal operators will be most affected.

‘Real problem’

He acknowledged regulatory challenges but stressed that PAGCOR’s framework is evolving. “It is a work in progress,” he said. “The real problem now is illegal operators — no regulations, no safeguards, even minors can play.”

Tengco urged updated regulations to match the rapid growth of the online gaming industry, which he described as following an “exponential trajectory.”

Several lawmakers pressed for an outright prohibition.

Senator Raffy Tulfo urged the government to listen to families harmed by gambling losses. “It’s about time we listen to the Filipino people… saying no to online gambling,” he said.

Senator Pia Cayetano filed a bill seeking a nationwide ban, saying every family torn apart by addiction is a reason to act. “I hope there will not be a need to call a hearing on taxation of online gambling because we will be banning it outright,” she said.

Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros and Senator Miguel Zubiri called for treating severe gambling addiction as a public health issue.

Citing the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Hontiveros noted that gambling disorder is recognized as a mental health condition.

“This means the government must also impose on these gambling platforms an enhanced duty of care,” she said.