Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva<\/a> was dismayed that the president did not mention anything about online gambling. \u201cWe reiterate our call for a total ban on online gambling because it wreaks havoc on the lives of our people. It destroys families, it traps people in addiction, and it offers no real value to nation-building.\u201d<\/p>\n READ: In fourth Sona, Marcos touts gains but issues strong warnings<\/a><\/p>\n Online gambling among Filipinos<\/p>\n Villanueva, who is leading the charge for a nationwide ban on online gambling, initially filed Senate Bill No. 1281 or the \u201cAnti-Online Gambling Act\u201d back in 2022, and seeks to once again push for its passing in the 20th Congress. Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri has also publicly supported the bill\u2014calling online gambling a \u201csilent pandemic\u201d that\u2019s afflicting the masses.<\/p>\n Under the proposed act, all forms of online gambling, such as digital betting platforms, mobile applications, and websites, will be prohibited.<\/p>\n In the bill\u2019s explanatory note<\/a>, Villanueva painted a dire situation: a 19-year-old student arrested for being unable to pay a \u20b1500,000 debt in cockfighting or e-sabong; students caught stealing from their parents to place bets; and even a police officer who robbed an LBC branch.<\/p>\n In light of growing clamor for a nationwide crackdown on online gambling, several operators have called for a logical approach instead. \u201cIf there are new standards to meet or better ways to protect players, we will act swiftly and responsibly. But please, do not condemn an industry, and the 50,000 Filipino families who rely on it, without hearing the facts first,\u201d says DigiPlus chairman Eusebio Tanco<\/a>.<\/p>\n Photo from the 2025 State of the Nation Address<\/p>\n Rather than pushing for an outright ban, Senator Sherwin Garchalian<\/a> filed a bill seeking to impose stricter regulations instead. This includes reducing online gambling\u2019s visibility in public events and advertisements, raising the minimum age of players from 18 to 21, as well as provisions to reduce access to betting sites and platforms in e-wallets such as GCash and PayMaya.<\/p>\n GCash has recently stated that it will update its advertising guidelines<\/a> to \u201cpromote safer gaming practices, and ensure that GCash and partner merchants remain compliant with the laws and regulations.\u201d<\/p>\n Currently, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is also entertaining the idea of limiting the use of digital payments in online gambling platforms.<\/p>\n READ: Joel Villanueva calls for an end to online gambling: \u2018A national crisis\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Online gambling and low wages: More intertwined than you think<\/p>\n The prevalence of digital and print media advertising online gambling; its integration to online and e-wallet platforms (making it highly accessible as well as gamified and attractive to minors); and addiction rooted in overlooked mental conditions\u2014these are undeniable factors that lead to widespread online gambling.<\/p>\n But untangling it boils down to a \u2018simple\u2019 paradox: \u201cFinancial strain is often a consequence of gambling disorders. At the same time, they are more prevalent in the context of poverty,\u201d notes a 2023 research<\/a> that correlates income levels and gambling in Norway.<\/p>\n Although seemingly contradictory, the research suggests that having lower income creates a higher risk for gambling, \u201cgiven the potential hope that [it] offers as a means to get ahead financially.\u201d It also noted that anxiety related to having low income \u201cincreases engagement in gambling activities as a coping mechanism.\u201d <\/p>\n![\"2025](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/asset_67379317-06b1-4929-911e-cc676a451ea0-scaled.jpg\"\/)
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