Philippine senator joins calls for stricter online gambling regulations
Senator Risa Hontiveros has said that current laws are falling behind the rapid pace of digital technology.
The Philippines.- Senator Risa Hontiveros has called for stricter regulation for online gambling, saying current laws are falling behind the rapid pace of digital technology. She said her office had received pleas for help from families of people addicted to online gambling.
According to the Philippine News Agency, Hontiveros stated: “What’s clear is that our laws are being left behind by the rapid pace of technology. That’s why we’ve filed a bill to limit access to online gambling, particularly in e-wallets and super apps.”
While casino operators have reaffirmed their commitment to responsible gaming, Hontiveros said: “If big casinos say they are following regulations, that’s well and good. That means there should be no issue if we tighten access to online gambling. With so many complaints pointing to how phones have made online gambling too easy to access, why are e-wallet and super app companies silent? I hope that they would also take steps to self-regulate,” she added.
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has recently ordered licensed online gambling operators and related service providers to remove all out-of-home advertising, including billboards and posters on trains, buses, jeepneys, and taxis.
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.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) recently published a draft circular outlining tighter controls over online gambling payment services. The proposed framework would require banks, e-wallets, and other payment service providers (PSPs) to implement new technical and operational standards before processing payments related to online gambling.
This includes the creation of a separate “Online Gambling Transaction Account” (OGTA) for each eligible user, capped at daily transfers equal to 20 per cent of the user’s average daily balance and subject to a maximum usage window of six hours per day. Exceeding these thresholds would trigger a 24-hour “cooling-off” period.
