Restrictions related to the gaming industry are continuing to escalate in the Philippines.
The Philippine Central Bank has issued a 48 hour ultimatum, demanding mobile wallets and payment applications remove all links to online gaming platforms.
This includes any products, services or features that redirect an account holder to a gaming site.
According to Bagko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the decision has been taken in light of a “surge in online gaming transactions”.
The suspension will remain in place until the bank has finalised its policy towards the sector, which aims to consider both the “impact on the financial health of consumers and their families” and “the broader social cost”.
In a bid to protect financial consumers, the bank is seeking to adopt stronger safeguards against gambling-related harm.
Upcoming measures include strict identity verification, as well as daily limits and time-based restrictions on gambling-related transfers to reduce excessive financial losses.
The bank also wants to provide tools for users such as personal spending caps, voluntary breaks and self-exclusion from gambling transactions.
The BSP stated: “These safeguards aim to reduce the risks of addiction, fraud, and financial harm while promoting the responsible use of digital financial services.
“The BSP remains committed to maintaining a safe, secure, and inclusive digital finance ecosystem for all Filipinos.”
These restrictions follow quickly in the footsteps of the Philippines’ Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), which issued a directive confirming that all DILG personnel and employees of its attached agencies, as well as elected and appointed local government officials, are now banned from accessing online gambling platforms.
The notice extends a previous directive that banned casino gambling to online platforms, which the DILG contends pose “an equal – if not greater – threat” to the integrity of public services.
The brink of extinction
Amid these restrictions, an inquiry has begun to consider the future of the Philippines’ online gaming sector, including the prospect of a total ban on the sector.
In total, four bills will be considered, including Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri’s ‘Anti-Online Gambling Act of 2025’.
Introduced in July, Zubiri described gambling addiction in the Philippines as a growing “silent epidemic”. He added: “For as long as gambling is within reach by almost anyone online, this is a social cancer that will continue to fester”.
A separate bill, introduced by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, will also be reviewed which echoes the calls for stricter regulations set out by the BSP’s prospective policy.
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