Another Philippine senator joins calls for online gambling ban
Senator Christopher Go has filed the Anti-Online Gambling Act of 2025.
The Philippines.- Christopher Go has filed Senate Bill No. 686, dubbed the Anti-Online Gambling Act of 2025. Go proposes a ban on the operation, conduct, and promotion of online gambling in all forms, including placing, receiving, or transmitting bets via the internet, with prison terms ranging from one to six months, or fines from PHP100.000 (US$1.746) to PHP500.000 (US$8.733) for violators.
Public officials promoting online gambling would face the maximum penalty, as well as dismissal from service and permanent disqualification from public office. The bill would repeal existing laws and regulations that authorise or regulate online gambling.
“The social cost has grown too big and too deep,” senator Go told the Daily Tribune. Go described online gambling as a rising threat that “preys on the vulnerable, erodes family values, and poses risks to financial integrity”.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has filed a separate bill proposing tighter restrictions without a full ban. Senator Alan Peter Cayetano is pushing for e-wallet providers to prevent their platforms from facilitating transactions linked to online gambling. Senator Risa Hontiveros has also called for stricter regulation for online gambling, saying current laws are falling behind the rapid pace of digital technology.
The office of president Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has said that he is carefully weighing the impact of a possible ban, following calls from several senators, while Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco has said he does not agree with calls to ban online gambling, warning that the move could result in the country losing hundreds of billions in revenue.
The gaming operator DigiPlus Interactive Corp has issued a warning against calls for a ban on online gambling. The company argues that such a move would do little to address concerns about addiction and corruption and would drive players toward unregulated, illegal platforms.
