July 10, 2025
MANILA – Online gambling is “making history” as the gaming industry’s “top revenue driver,” contributing P51 billion in the first three months of 2025, almost the same as the all year P58 billion that the sector generated in 2023.
But for some Filipinos, especially the poor, the story is different.
As the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) said, from only P58.16 billion in 2023, GGR, or gross gaming revenue from e-games swelled to P154.51 billion in 2024 and P51.39 billion in the first quarter of 2025 alone.
READ: Pagcor wants tighter control, not total ban, on online gambling
However, for every peso generated, which the government is not willing to let go, a Filipino is sinking deeper in poverty – crippled by debt, distressed and left with nothing but heartbreak.
This is the story of Ricardo (not his real name).
He was a worker who was bringing home P20,000 a month. He told INQUIRER.net that while this was barely enough, he, as well as his wife and three children, survived.
But everything fell apart when he learned online gambling in 2020, the year COVID-19 hit and locked down people. It started with online sabong, he said, and then e-games, which can be accessed in less than five minutes.
READ: The quiet rise of online gambling
From just P20, Ricardo went on, risking as high as P1,000, P2,000, or P3,000. It was hard to resist, he said. “Lumalaki ang tinataya ko kapag nakakatikim ng panalo (I am increasing my bet whenever I win.”
“Tapos ang dali lang tumaya (It is easy to place a bet),” he stressed. “Pinapakita pa ‘yong pwede mong mapanalunan na milyon kaya maeengganyo ka talaga (You can see the ‘million’ that you can win so you would really be persuaded).”
He gambled for almost five years but stopped when he no longer had money to bet. However, it was too late. He is already buried in debt, worth P300,000, most of which went to online gambling.
“Kung hindi ko sana sinubukan, wala sana akong utang ngayon (If only I did not try, I would not have a debt to pay now),” he said. “Talagang nagsisisi ako (I really regret what I did).
‘Baka swertehin’
Based on data from research firm Capstone-Intel, “with the rise of technology and the Internet, more people are turning to online betting as a form of entertainment and a potential source of income.”
It pointed out that in its survey carried out in 2023 across the country, 64 percent of 1,200 respondents are engaged in online betting, with 66 percent of 18 to 40 year olds and 57 percent of 41 to 55 year olds saying they do gamble online.
READ: Marcos heeding clamor against online gambling
Capstone-Intel stated, as well, that out of the 773 respondents who engage in online gambling, 30 percent places bet two to three times a week, while 22 percent and 20 percent said they do it once a month and once a week, respectively.
“One major contributor to its growth is the increasing accessibility and convenience of online platforms for betting. With the widespread availability of Internet access, bettors can easily place their bets from anywhere, at any time,” it said.
Take the case of the jeepney driver who was risking his meager earnings on online gambling while plying his route. As shared on Facebook by Kyle Jennermann, the driver was probably in his late 50s.
“Whenever we had a delayed stop, he would check his phone and try to spin a few more slots on Bingo Plus. When we had a really long stop, he kept loading P50 […], losing it quickly, and reloading,” he said.
READ: Online gambling and broken lives
Capstone-Intel stated that based on its survey results, 39 percent and 32 percent of the respondents who engage in online betting do so because they want to test their luck and earn quick money.
Results indicated, as well, that 69 percent of the respondents spent less than P1,000 on betting, while 20 percent spent between P1,001 and P3,000. Only six percent bet between P3,001 and P5,000, while three percent bet between P5,001 and P10,000.
Problem ‘so severe’
Online gambling, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said, is a “new virus” that tears down individuals, families, and society. “We thought we were already free from POGO and e-sabong.”
“But here comes a new face of gambling. We did not realize how severe it is, with a lot of people, including the youth, becoming addicted to gambling,” it said in a statement on July 8.
As the CBCP said, “to take advantage of a person’s weakness for profit is a sin.”
READ: ‘Whole community approach’ can stop online gambling’s proliferation – CBCP
It asked the government to set limitations on online payment systems to make online gambling harder to access, especially for young people, and called on Filipinos to treat online gambling as a public health issue.
Even before the emergence of online gaming, gambling in casinos was already a problem.
Take the case of Alberto (not his real name), who lost P5 million in a day because of casino gambling. He mortgaged his house and vehicles to be able to get more money to feed his addiction.
As shared by one of his friends, he lost P30 million in a month and was eventually forced to live with his parents, together with his wife and children, who had to move schools since they could no longer pay for the tuition.
Based on government data, income from Pagcor-operated casinos is in constant decline, with the GGR falling from P19.62 billion in 2023 to only P15.97 billion in 2024 and P3.46 billion in the first quarter of 2025.
This, as more Filipinos are shifting to e-gaming, which is the “conduct of electronic games and the taking of wagers through any computer or communication device connected to the Internet.”
‘Getting out of hand’
As Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri pointed out in a press conference on July 7, the issue on online gambling is “getting out of hand, so I appeal to the President […] let’s do something about this.”
This, as he filed the proposed Anti-Online Gambling Act, which seeks to mandate all Internet service providers, mobile network operators, and digital platforms to block access to gambling websites and remove related applications.
READ: Miguel Zubiri files bill seeking outright ban on online gambling
He said the government may lose P47 billion in the first quarter of the year should online gambling be completely restricted, but he stressed the need to get rid of what he described as a “silent epidemic.”
Pagcor, however, opposed the proposal for an outright ban, asserting that stricter regulations should be implemented instead because the government is earning hundreds of billions directly and indirectly.
“Let’s not ignore it,” said Pagcor chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco over radio station DZMM.
READ: Solons to gov’t: Make online gambling less accessible, ‘dreams are shattered’
Akbayan Representatives already filed House Bill No. 1351, or the Kontra E-Sugal Bill, to limit access by “imposing firm age restrictions on e-gambling platforms and removing access to e-wallet services.”
It proposed, as well, a 10 percent tax on online gambling to finance addiction treatment and recovery programs.