Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ("Bongbong") has responded for the first time to the social issues caused by online gambling in his official podcast "Bagong Pilipinas". He stated that although the industry has made significant economic contributions, the negative impacts such as youth addiction and family breakdowns cannot be ignored. The government will convene a high-level meeting to thoroughly review and regulate the online gambling system.
In the program, Marcos Jr. stated, "We are not saying that online gambling is inherently sinful, but it has indeed harmed too many families, especially the youth." He pointed out that there have been instances of students using their parents' e-wallets to place bets and even borrowing money for gambling, which is alarming.
He revealed that the government will soon convene an interdepartmental meeting, involving participants such as the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), the Central Bank (BSP), the Department of Education, the Department of Social Welfare, church representatives, parent groups, and NGOs. The meeting will brainstorm on how to effectively prevent gambling addiction and underage gambling while maintaining economic contributions. The core issue of the meeting will be: "How to cut off the access of youth to gambling while safeguarding national revenue?"
Almost concurrently with the president's statement, the Central Bank of the Philippines also announced plans to introduce several financial control measures, including:
Restricting e-wallets like GCash and Maya from recharging gambling platforms;
Requiring financial institutions to detect and report suspicious transactions;
Strengthening KYC real-name verification to prevent underage gambling;
Introducing a "self-exclusion" mechanism, allowing users to voluntarily restrict their use of gambling services;
Setting daily or weekly spending limits.
These measures will apply not only to local platforms but also to overseas gambling service providers, to ensure that the electronic payment system no longer serves as a "hotbed" for gambling.
Marcos Jr. emphasized not to confuse online gambling with Pogo (offshore gaming operators): "Pogo involves serious criminal offenses such as illegal detention, human trafficking, and fraud, which are different from the regulation of online gambling."
Data shows that in the first quarter of 2025, the total legal gambling revenue in the Philippines reached 104 billion pesos, with online gambling contributing over 49%, nearly equal to the revenue from physical casinos. The annual revenue is expected to exceed 320 billion pesos, highlighting the critical role of the gambling industry in the national economy.
However, the frequent occurrence of gambling addiction and related fraud cases has led to rising social costs. The president's statement indicates that the government will no longer ignore the issue. The upcoming high-level meeting is seen as a critical turning point in the regulation of online gambling in the Philippines, and the international community is highly attentive to whether the subsequent policies can truly mitigate the harm and balance economic and social costs.
