Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero is seeking a nationwide ban on gambling advertisements and sponsorships across television, radio, print, websites, social media and other platforms.
Electronic and online gambling overtook land-based casinos in the Philippines in 2025 as total gross gambling revenue reached a record P396 billion, according to industry data cited by digital gambling platform Buenas PH.
The volume of suspicious transactions in the global online gambling industry increased 4.5 times between the first quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026, even as fraud rates declined across the Asia-Pacific region, according to a new report from identity verification firm Sumsub.
Included in the roster of social media influencers and online entities allegedly involved in promoting unlicensed online gambling platforms are Whamos Cruz, Toni Fowler, and Boy Tapang.
Ako Bicol party-list representative Alfredo A. Garbin Jr. warned against complacency amid reports of reduced online gambling activity, saying the decline is only temporary as operators and gamblers are likely to find ways to evade current restrictions.
DigiPlus Interactive Corp., operator of online gambling platforms BingoPlus, ArenaPlus, and GameZone, has temporarily halted its Brazil operations just weeks after launching, saying it will refine its offerings based on insights from an initial soft rollout.
The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) has issued a warning to financial institutions and related businesses to avoid transactions linked to online casinos and gambling platforms that are not registered with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor).
Sen. Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri raised alarm over the absence of caps on interest rates for online lending applications as Sen. Erwin Tulfo ordered the issuance of a show-cause order against Meta-Facebook Philippines after its representatives failed to attend the hearing on online gambling.
agong Henerasyon party-list representative Robert Nazal on Tuesday, Sept. 16, pushed back against assertions that banning online gambling in the Philippines cannot be done, saying other countries have already proven it is possible.
