PAGCOR orders removal of billboard ads for online gambling in the Philippines
The agency has ordered licensed online gambling operators and related service providers to remove out-of-home advertising.
The Philippines.- The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has ordered licensed online gambling operators and related service providers to immediately remove all out-of-home advertising, including billboards and posters on trains, buses, jeepneys, and taxis.
The agency said that only institutional or responsible gaming campaign would be permitted, subject to PAGCOR’s approval. Inventory must include size, material, location, rental contract expiration, and the corresponding permit number from the Ad Standards Council (ASC).
PAGCOR chairman and CEO Alejandro H. Tengco said: “We have given all our licensees and stakeholders until August 15 to completely remove all gambling-related ads. Prior to that, stakeholders must also submit an inventory of their existing billboard and wallscape advertisements by July 16.”
He added: “While PAGCOR is mandated to regulate the gaming industry and generate revenues for nation-building, we do not want to encourage a culture of gambling addiction,” he said and added: “Regulating excessive and pervasive gambling advertisements is a critical step in protecting vulnerable sectors of society, especially the youth.”
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is reportedly open to proposals for tighter regulations and taxation of digital gaming. The Department of Finance (DOF) is exploring measures such as a 10 per cent tax on operators to fund addiction treatment and recovery programmes.
Senate president Juan Miguel Zubiri has presented a bill that seeks to ban online gambling and Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has filed a bill proposing tighter restrictions, but these are unlikely to advance. Tengco has said such a move would result in the country losing hundreds of billions in revenue.
