Lawmakers eye ban on online gambling promotions, linkage to e-wallets
Bukidnon Reps. Keith Flores, Jose Alba, Audrey Zubiri, Laarni Roque and Arlyn Ayon made the proposal under their House Bill 721 or the Anti-Online Gambling Promotions in E-Wallet Act.
Under the bill, the following acts of operators of e-wallet mobile applications are deemed illegal:
redirecting users to any online gambling platform, website, or application through links, QR codes, or similar digital means
distributing information online on the placing, receiving, or transmitting of a bet or wager through any online gambling website, platform, or application
displaying, publishing, or hosting online gambling advertisements within their applications or user interfaces
promoting gambling activities online to the general public
Any operator, natural or juridical, of an e-wallet platform or similar digital payment application found to have violated the proposed law will be fined P100,000 to P500,000 and will be given a warning for the first offense.
The penalty for the second offense is pegged at P500,000 to P1 million on top of suspension of operations for 30 days at maximum.
For the third and subsequent offenses, the fine is P1 million to P5 million and permanent revocation of the business license.
If the offender is a foreigner, the person will be deported immediately after payment of fines without further proceedings by the Bureau of Immigration.
"All four of Bukidnon's representatives in Congress are united on making sure gambling operations go back to onsite operations only and without linkages to e-wallets," Flores said in a statement.
'Alongside financial inclusion and the ease of transactions, a troubling social and cultural trend has emerged: e-wallets have become gateways to gambling by providing direct access to digital casinos and sports betting platforms. Economically vulnerable Filipinos are lured into gambling activities that may lead to financial ruin and social harm,' the authors added in their explanatory note.
The lawmakers said that the e-wallets' service of providing loans is also being used by gamblers to continue betting, creating a vicious cycle of debt and dependency.
'Online gambling is a moral, financial, and public health concern. Without proper safeguards, e-wallets risk becoming traps for vulnerable Filipinos. Thus, this bill aims to ensure responsibility and accountability among e-wallet platforms to prevent their exploitation in promoting gambling-related activities and behaviors,' the lawmakers said.—LDF, GMA Integrated News
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
GMA Network
5 hours ago
- GMA Network
Group calls for good governance, transparency amid VP Sara impeachment issue
Several senator-judges vote in favor of returning the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte to the House of Representatives, after the Senate convened as an impeachment court earlier in the day, on June 10, 2025. Joseph B. Vidal/OSP An anti-corruption group on Thursday called for transparency and good governance in public service amid the issue of Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment. In a press release, Democracy Watch Philippines (DemWatch) said it has convened student leaders from 16 universities and various youth-led non-government organizations in Metro Manila to promote good governance as well as to urge the youth to partake in civic engagement and political participation. 'Transparency isn't just a buzzword—it's the frontline of accountability. If we don't know what our leaders are doing, how can we hold them responsible? If public service is cloaked in secrecy, can we still call it democratic?' DemWatch convenor Lloyd Ian Zaragoza said in a press release. 'We must understand who these politicians are and what they are scared of. It's actually the voters. It's us, the people, who hold the power to elect and are empowered to hold them accountable,' he added. The House of Representatives impeached Duterte on February 5 with more than 200 congressmen endorsing the verified complaint against her, which has been transmitted to the Senate for her impeachment trial. The Senate sitting as an impeachment court however voted last June 10 to return to the House of Representatives the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte without dismissing or terminating the case. Duterte entered a 'not guilty' plea in the verified impeachment complaint filed against her, which she called merely a 'scrap of paper.' Zaragoza, meanwhile, pointed out that the issues surrounding the impeachment case were supposedly muddled by misinformation. He cited the importance of empowering the youth as the next generation of voters to raise awareness on relevant social issues and put public pressure on leaders to serve honestly. 'You are not a silent generation. You are asking the hard questions. You are calling out injustice. You are not here to inherit a broken system—you are here to help fix it,' said Zaragoza. — BM, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
6 hours ago
- GMA Network
BSP may require financial institutions to limit user access to online gaming
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is looking at requiring Philippine financial institutions to limit the gaming access of their users, in a bid to protect clients of digital platforms from risks associated with online gambling. According to the central bank, it has already circulated a draft circular for such measures, and is now reviewing feedback from stakeholders. 'The circular would seek to require BSP-supervised institutions (BSIs), primarily banks and electronic money issuers, to better protect users of their digital platforms from these risks. Protection may come in the form of various limits to gaming access,' the BSP said. 'The BSP is taking a collaborative approach to crafting the circular, to ensure that the final policy strikes a balance between protecting consumers and preserving access to digital payments for licensed businesses,' it added. To recall, the BSP in 2021 issued a directive that prohibited regulated entities from dealing with unlicensed gambling operators. It also ordered e-wallets and other BSIs to remove links to electronic sabong or e-sabong from their platforms in 2022. 'The BSP remains committed to promoting a safe, secure, and inclusive digital finance ecosystem for all Filipinos,' the BSP said. Earlier this week, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian proposed a measure imposing strict regulations for online gambling, including banning the use of an e-wallet for online gambling, increasing the minimum age from 18 to 21, and having a minimum bet of P10,000 and a top up of P5,000. Malacañang last month said the government has shut down 7,000 unauthorized gaming websites, citing concerns related to online gaming addiction. — BM, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
7 hours ago
- GMA Network
Makabayan solons push for repeal of Anti-Terror law
"It has only served to justify attacks against ordinary Filipinos and those who champion their rights. We must repeal this law to protect our fundamental freedoms,' ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Tino said. (Photo from ACT Teachers Party-list FB post) A bill repealing the Anti-Terrorism law, a 2020 measure which allows detention of terrorism suspects for as long as 24 days without a warrant, has been filed in the House of Representatives. Party-list Reps. Antonio Tinio of ACT Teachers and Renee Louise Co of Kabataan sought the repeal, which they branded as 'Terror Law,' under their House Bill 1272. 'The chilling effect of this law has undermined the work of human rights defenders, journalists, teachers, students, and grassroots organizers. The Terror Law has no place in a society that values democracy and human rights," the lawmakers said. "It has only served to justify attacks against ordinary Filipinos and those who champion their rights. We must repeal this law to protect our fundamental freedoms,' Tinio added. Under the Anti-Terror law, terrorism is committed by any person who, within or outside the Philippines, regardless of the stage of execution, engages in acts intended to cause death or serious bodily injury to any person, or endangers a person's life; engages in acts intended to cause extensive damage or destruction to government or public facility, public place or private property; or engages in acts intended to cause extensive interference with, damage or destruction to critical infrastructure. The opposition lawmakers said that such a broad definition of terrorism allows state forces to arbitrarily tag individuals and organizations as terrorists based on mere intent or suspicion. They said the state's duty to ensure peace and security must never come at the expense of people's rights and freedoms. They cited the case of Japer Gurung and Junior Ramos, the Aeta farmers who were freed after the court junked terrorism charges against them due to insufficient evidence. 'The true path to peace and justice lies not in repression, but in addressing the roots of poverty, inequality, and social unrest. We call on our colleagues in Congress to support the immediate repeal of the Terror Law,' they added.—LDF, GMA Integrated News
