Women, children and poor among victims
Lawmakers propose limitations or total ban
Church lambastes 'moral and social crisis'
By Mariejo Ramos
MANILA, July 25 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Before assisting fellow gamblers gave up the live roulette wheel or pass up the splendor of a royal flush in poker, Filipino Reagan Praferosa combated his own addiction - an enthusiasm that practically cost him his life.
Enthralled by the "big-shot identity" that included early casino victories in Las Vegas and later on in Manila, Praferosa went on to lose 50 million pesos ($873,515) in seven years.
He was imprisoned for theft to cover the debt, sent to rehab centers and after that attempted to take his own life.
"Gambling is a psychological disease. It only leads to three locations: jail, institution or death," stated Praferosa, who produced a support system in 2011 for Filipinos with a gambling dependency.
The group, managed by five individuals, has helped more than 300 individuals with online daily conferences. Its members are as young as 13 and as old as 72.
Lawmakers and the Catholic Church fret that addiction is soaring, with ever more bettors drawn to online video games, their requirement accelerated by social-media ads and e-wallet platforms.
"The variety of callers we received is 10 times more than typical. Before, callers were dominated by males. Now they ´ re dominated by mothers ... kids too," stated Praferosa.
Several lawmakers have submitted bills seeking limitations on online betting, such as prohibiting the usage of e-wallets that enable larger, faster bets. Others desire a total ban.
Online gambling has actually removed rapidly in the Philippines, with federal government revenues from taxes and charges paid by local operators for the first quarter estimated at 51 billion pesos, ($892 million) according to report mentioning information from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), the federal government's video gaming regulator.
It represented about half of the federal government ´ s overall gaming earnings up until now this year.
At least 80 electronic gaming operators have licences in the Philippines, according to PAGCOR.
Gian Samson, a PAGCOR staff member, stated he backs an outright ban, declaring the human dangers far exceed the financial benefits.
"Online gambling must be stopped instantly, and we ought to identify what is legal or unlawful. It ´ s not contributing anything to our society," stated Samson, an agent of PAGCOR's employee association.
The chairman of PAGCOR, founded in 1977 to control video gaming and stop unlawful gambling establishments, declines a total restriction and instead favors more stringent guideline.
GROWING PROBLEM
Former president Rodrigo Duterte ushered in online betting in 2016, opening the door to mainly Chinese-owned firms that accommodated consumers outside the country.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reversed track and enforced a ban on the outdoors entities in 2015, citing a "grave abuse" of laws by the industry.
However, domestic digital versions of conventional casino video games, such as fruit machine, poker and roulette, are still allowed and can be accessed from mobile phones.
While online gambling is legal, Samson stated regulators have failed to limit the market or control who can access these video games, as is mandated.
"They are offering Filipinos easy and convenient access to gambling. In just a tap of a button, you can diminish your life cost savings," he said.
Players can join a video game, then withdraw all their revenues through popular e-payment apps that even children can use, he stated.
DigiPlus Interactive, operator of gaming sites BingoPlus, ArenaPlus and GameZone, stated banning certified operators would "drive gamers towards illegal, unregulated sites without any safeguards" as well as hit some 50,000 employees in the sector.
"We are open to evolving and enhancing any place required. If there are brand-new requirements to fulfill, or better ways to secure gamers, we will act quickly and responsibly," DigiPlus Chair Eusebio Tanco said in a statement.
RECOVERY
The church has decried online betting as a "ethical and social crisis" and called for a ban.
"It is now a public health crisis in our society, much like drug addiction, alcohol addiction and other kinds of dependency. It damages not just the individual but likewise their households," Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, stated in a pastoral letter.
He stated online betting harms bad Filipinos who have almost no income or cost savings and young people who are currently dealing with the expense of education along with other susceptible individuals.
In one Facebook healing group with more than 25,000 members, one user stated he attempted to come by installing an online betting obstructing app called Gamban but stopped working to suppress his dependency.
Gamban, a software supplier based in Britain, can be set up on individual devices to obstruct online betting sites.
Gamban founder Matt Zarb-Cousin stated the Philippines is the app ´ s third-highest source of brand-new signups, after Brazil and Britain, showing a rise from about 26,000 visitors in 2024 to more than 32,000 in the very first half of 2025.
"It may be driven by the prevalence of online gambling, legal and illegal," stated Zarb-Cousin.
He stated online gambling establishments are related to greater rates of dependency than standard betting, and about 80% of Gamban users play mostly slots.
"Everyone wants to make much better lives on their own, and gambling is something that can completely ruin that in a really short space of time," stated the previous gaming addict.
In countries such as Britain, the Netherlands and Norway, Gamban is complimentary. In the Philippines, it costs $3.49 a month.
"There need to be obligations positioned on gambling operators to safeguard customers sufficiently. And in my perfect world, there wouldn't be as lots of people needing Gamban," he said.
"Regulation, if done appropriately, can avoid or at the very least cut online gaming substantially." (Reporting by Mariejo Ramos. Editing by Lyndsay Griffiths and Ellen Wulfhorst. The Thomson Reuters Foundation is the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters. Visit https://www.context.news)