Philippine Church joins calls for online gambling ban
Cardinal David said addiction outweighs state revenue benefits.
The Philippines.- Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), has joined calls for a ban on online gambling in the Philippines. Speaking at the 11th Philippine Conference on New Evangelisation in Manila, said problems with addiction outweighed any state revenue benefits.
According to The Inquirer, David said Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) chair Alejandro Tengco had responded to a CBCP pastoral letter, emphasising the revenue online gambling generates. David criticised such logic, suggesting that by the same reasoning, the government should legalise harmful drugs.
David questioned the claim that access to online gambling can be controlled and alleged that gambling addiction is a form of “modern slavery”.
Vice president Sara Duterte has come out against online gambling as calls for a ban grow among Philippine politicians. She said that digital platforms make gambling too accessible, leading to rapid financial losses and worsening family debt.
Meanwhile, finance secretary Ralph Recto has made the case for raising taxes and tightening regulations on online gambling operators rather than a ban, and senator Sherwin Gatchalian has also filed a bill proposing tighter restrictions without a full ban.
