The Senate Committee on Games and Amusement, chaired by Sen. Erwin Tulfo, opened its first hearing on the impact of online gambling with near-unanimous support for a total ban.
Tulfo cited alarming figures: 11,985 illegal gambling sites, 6,363 online casino games, 235 offshore sites, and 4,813 online sabong operations, and noted 32.12 million Filipinos gambled online from January to May 2025, a 293% surge year-on-year.
PAGCOR reported the sector could generate ₱60B in license fees this year, funding programs such as Universal Healthcare. However, Sen. Pia Cayetano questioned whether agencies like PhilHealth and the PSC actually received their allocations, prompting PAGCOR Chair Alejandro Tengco to offer documentation.
While most senators favored a ban, Sen. Win Gatchalian pushed for stricter regulation to prevent migration to illegal sites. He also demonstrated weak KYC measures on platforms like PISO Game and BigWin29.
A key outcome: BSP ordered e-wallets to remove in-app access to gambling within 48 hours, with Tulfo and Sen. Alan Cayetano warning of contempt charges if access remains by Sunday morning. The order does not yet cover payment processing, which would require legislation.
The next hearing will feature the Department of Finance’s position, proposals from PAGCOR and BSP on stricter regulations, and the attendance of major e-wallet providers for questioning.
