KEYBOARD, cards, chips, dice and “Online Gambling” words are seen in this illustration picture, June 5, 2020. — REUTERS ILLUSTRATION

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. should impose a nationwide ban on online gambling, a lawmaker said on Tuesday, urging the revocation of all existing licenses to combat rising cases of gambling addiction.

The Justice department should include the operation of online gambling as punishable under the country’s cybercrime laws, Manila Rep. Rolando M. Valeriano said in a statement, also calling for the central bank to bar banks and electronic wallets from linking with online casinos.

“Online gambling applications should be stopped,” Manila Rep. Rolando M. Valeriano said in a statement. “[They] have made gambling easy and accessible to the poor and vulnerable.”

Easy access to online gambling websites and applications have lured in Filipinos seeking to make a quick buck, creating the perfect storm for addiction in a country where betting has been a cornerstone.

“Online gambling is highly addictive,” said Mr. Valeriano. “They’re like poison that dulls the minds of the poor and erodes the future of the youth.”

“Some of these applications are even being promoted by influencers and celebrities, as millions of Filipinos are being deliberately dragged into debt and vice,” he added. 

The Philippines’ gambling commission should revoke all the licenses it provided to online gambling operators as part of efforts to curb its spread, he said, noting that gambling activities should only be made available at onsite venues and be strictly regulated by the government.

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. had reported it more-than-doubled its net income to P16.76 billion in 2024. This was largely due to the e-gaming segment, with e-games and e-bingo accounting for 50.03%, or P48.79 billion.

The segment continued to be the main growth driver in the first quarter of the year, with electronic businesses generating P51.39 billion, or 49.36% of the gross gaming revenue. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio