The Philippine telecommunications regulatory authority recently warned that chat or shopping apps involving online gambling may face bans. In response, the instant messaging app Viber publicly responded on Tuesday, promising to actively cooperate with the government to obtain regulatory guidance and strictly limit the scope of gambling-related advertisements.
Viber emphasized in the statement that the platform policy only allows the placement of gambling advertisements within the legal scope, including casinos, lotteries, and sports betting, but must obtain prior written approval from the platform and comply with international and local laws and age restrictions. The company also emphasized that such advertisements will only appear in a "limited scope".
Viber also clarified that the app itself does not provide gambling functions or handle related payments, and only works with strictly vetted partners to ensure compliance and user safety.
Henry Aguda, the Minister of Information and Communications Technology of the Philippines, stated that the government is closely monitoring applications and e-commerce platforms involving gambling content, and if they do not rectify in time, related services may be banned.
