Marcos ‘working out’ how to address virtual gambling
The Department of Health has framed compulsive online betting as a mental-health concern fueled by smartphone access and ubiquitous ads.
Daily TribuneThe Department of Health has framed compulsive online betting as a mental-health concern fueled by smartphone access and ubiquitous ads.
On his 68th birthday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s position on online gambling echoes the Beatles’ 1965 classic: “We Can Work It Out.” The work here is a balancing act — curbing addiction and abuse while recognizing that gambling generates revenue and jobs.
The stakes are highest for younger adults, who live on their phones and can reach betting apps as easily as social media, often without the financial judgment to measure risks. Workers may also turn to online gambling for quick relief or the hope of a windfall, only to fall into debt and family strain.
“We must study this carefully and not act hastily because we need to hear from stakeholders,” Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said in August. She emphasized that the real issue is addiction rather than the technology itself, though she noted that the President has not ruled out a broader ban.
The Department of Health has framed compulsive online betting as a mental-health concern fueled by smartphone access and ubiquitous ads.
“Many families fall into gambling because it’s very accessible. Gambling is habit-forming and behavioral. Either ban or regulation is fine with me,” Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said in July.
“You just open your phone and gambling is there immediately — to me, this is a mental health issue,” he added.
A turning point came late last year when Marcos issued Executive Order 74 to shut down Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) and related services.
The order cited findings by the Department of Finance and the Anti-Money Laundering Council that risks — crime, money-laundering exposure, and reputational damage — outweighed claimed benefits.
Offshore ban
EO 74 stressed the state’s duty to safeguard national security, public order, and citizen safety.
Even with offshore gambling banned, the domestic policy challenge remains. Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation data show gross gaming revenues rose 26 percent year-on-year to P214.75 billion in the first half of 2025, with online gambling accounting for P114.83 billion.
Regulators have since turned to the ease of access. A draft Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas circular would require payment service providers to create a separate online gambling transaction account (OGTA) per user, cap transfers into it at 20 percent of the account’s average daily balance, and allow gambling payments only within a six-hour window each day.
Heavy usage would trigger a 24-hour cooling-off period.
The draft also bans in-app lending once an OGTA is activated, requires facial biometric checks and user-set limits, and prohibits financial institutions and their staff from online gambling.
Platform partners must meet strict licensing, beneficial ownership and anti-money laundering disclosure requirements. Noncompliance could result in suspension, license revocation, or fines of up to P1 million per violation.
Separately, via Memorandum M-2025-029 dated 14 August 2025 (Monetary Board Resolution 805), the BSP ordered all BSP-supervised institutions to suspend in-app gambling access and remove any links or redirects to gaming sites from mobile payment apps and websites while awaiting the new policy.
Marketing has also been reined in. By 15 August, operators were ordered to remove outdoor ads amid growing scrutiny of aggressive promotions. PAGCOR and the Ad Standards Council signed a memorandum of understanding requiring all gambling ads to pass ASC screening before release.