Philippine president to clarify position on online gambling, Maybank says
Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is expected to say whether he supports tighter regulations or a full prohibition.
The Philippines.- Maybank Securities has suggested that Philippines president Ferdinand Marcos Jr may clarify next week whether he will support calls for tighter regulation of online gambling or full prohibition. Analyst Raffy Mendoza noted that comments are expected in the presidential address scheduled for Monday, July 28.
Maybank noted that online gaming’s contribution to national gross domestic product (GDP), saying: “By our estimates, e-games contributed about 0.68 per cent to the country’s nominal GDP in Q1 2025, up from 0.1 per cent in Q3 2023.
However he added: “While data regarding the negative impact of eGames in the Philippines remains opaque, it is still plausible that online gambling may be banned as the political noise is reminiscent of how eSabong and POGOs were dealt with,” Mendoza wrote.
According to data reported by local media, more than 50,000 jobs could be lost if proposals to ban online gaming in the Philippines are passed. Reports say that licensed online gaming platforms contributed more than PHP112bn (US$1.96bn) to the national government in 2024, with PHP16.6bn (US$287m) going for healthcare and PHP46.32bn (US$802m) as dividends to the national treasury.
Meanwhile, a study of 1,250 online gambling players by research firm The Fourth Wall has found that most are opposed to a ban. Some 53 per cent oppose banning regulated online gambling, while only 18.15 per cent support it. Another 16 per cent agree with a ban but with reservations.
