Lingering tensions around the future of online gambling in the Philippines remain following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s State of the Nation Address.
Amidst widespread speculation, Marcos Jr failed to address the future of iGaming. It was anticipated that Marcos would respond to lobbying by lawmakers to ban online gaming from in the country during his speech to a joint session of the Congress of the Philippines, which is delivered annually by the Philippines’ leader and lays out the current government’s plans for the year ahead.
During the hour-long address, Marcos focused on his government’s response to the flash floods which have torn through the northern part of the nation, killing dozens, as well as the expansion of services offered by the Philippines’ universal healthcare system, PhilHealth, and the support that will be offered to young people in education.
Threat of prohibition
Discontent surrounding the Philippines’ iGaming industry began at the beginning of this month when Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri proposed the ‘Anti-Online Gambling Act of 2025’, which seeks to implement an outright ban on online gambling.
Fears were then amplified when Marcos launched his own attack on online gaming. The President posted a social media clip in which he lamented the ease of which digitisation has allowed Filipinos to access gambling products.
“One of the things digitalisation has made easier is gambling. Many families are being destroyed by it, especially when used irresponsibly,” he said. “Technology should help make Filipino families successful and united, not destroy them.”
When questioned by reporters, President Marcos’ Press Officer, Claire Castro, also failed to rule out the possibility of either a total prohibition of online gaming, or increased regulation, as suggested by other Senators within the country.
She told the media on 15 July: “These kinds of decisions are really being studied carefully — whether they will affect the economy, impact the people — and we cannot be hasty with them, because sometimes, when you ban the legal and licensed online gaming sites, the number of illegal online gaming sites actually increases, and that has a greater negative impact on the economy. So the President is studying this carefully.”
Tarred with the same brush
Stakeholders in the Philippines have rallied against the rhetoric coming from within the Philippines’ government, warning of the major economic consequences of the threats, as well as the potential for the black market to thrive if a total ban is put in place.
DigiPlus, the Philippines’ largest gaming operator, emphasised that prohibition could lead to over 50,000 job losses for those associated with the gaming industry.
The company’s Chair, Eusebio Tanco, told lawmakers: “We are open to evolving and improving wherever needed. If 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.”
Digiplus, which operates brands such as BingoPlus, ArenaPlus and GameZone, suggested that the licensed industry is being “made to answer for the crimes of illegal operators who respect neither law nor livelihood”.
It continued: “We are appealing to the government: Let us approach this rationally. If we study the issue with clear eyes, we will see that the social ills being blamed on online gaming stem from the illegal market. That is where underage gambling happens. That is where financial abuse thrives. Target that, and the harm disappears.”
Economic consequences
Given Marcos’ current concerns regarding the economic toll of repairing the damage of the current flashfloods and expanding the scope of government-backed health care, it would appear remiss at this time to scale back an industry that significantly contributes to the government’s finances.
The Philippine government received over P112bn (£1.5bn) in revenue from licensed platforms in 2024. According to the Philippine Star, P16.6bn of which went to PhilHealth for universal health care, and a further P46.3bn was remitted as dividends to the national treasury.
An additional P5.9bn was received by the Bureau of Internal Revenue in tax contributions.
A coalition of 14 licensed operators, who have united against the total prohibition, stressed that an outright ban would force players to spend outside the regulated market and divert money away from communities.
“The reality is clear, players will continue to play. The choice is whether they do so on secure, licensed platforms that follow regulations, or on black-market sites that answer to no one,” they said.
As of yet, no official schedule has been announced for floor deliberation regarding Senator Zubiri’s bill.
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