A BILL seeking to prohibit online gambling on e-wallets has been filed by 5 congressmen on Tuesday, July 1.  

House Bill 721, also known as the proposed “Anti-Online Gambling Promotions in E-Wallets Act,” aims to stop e-wallet platforms from promoting gambling apps due to the surge in online gambling. 

On an explanatory note, it stated that online gambling constitutes as a moral, financial, and public health concern. “Without proper safeguards, e-wallets risk becoming traps for vulnerable Filipinos and safe havens for gambling addiction.”  

Under the said bill, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), mobile network operators, and digital platforms are ordered to block access to gambling websites as well as remove related apps within 72 hours’ notice from the Department of Justice of PAGCOR. 

The Anti-Online Gambling Promotions in E-wallets Act” was filed by Rep. Jonathan Keith Flores (Bukidnon, 2nd District), Rep. Jose Manuel Alba (Bukidnon, 1st District), Rep. Audrey Zubiri (Bukidnon, 3rd District), Rep. Laarni Roque (Bukidnon, 4th District) and Arlyn Ayon (Swerte Party-list). 

The proposed House Bill listed prohibited acts that e-wallets aren’t allowed to do. If they acted upon the prohibited acts, they would be penalized. These include: 

• Redirect users to any online gambling platform, website, or application through links, QR codes, or similar digital means. 
• Promoting gambling activities online to the general public. 
• Distributing online information on the placing, receiving, or transmitting of a bet or wager on gambling platforms and applications. 
• Displaying, publishing, or hosting online gambling advertisements within their applications. 

The bill also listed responsibilities that should be followed by the e-wallet platforms: 

• Taking down ads and promotional materials that are connected to gambling 
• Preventing the spread of gambling content on their platforms. 
• Filing an annual report with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) that details efforts to comply. The first report should be passed within 60 days of the law’s enactment.  

Failure to comply with the bill sets out a penalty varying per offense. 

The first offense constitutes a fine of P100,000 to P500,00 and a written warning. 

Second offense constitutes a fine of P500,000 to P1 million, with the platform being suspended for a month. 

Third offense and more constitutes a fine of P1 million to P5 million, with the e-wallet platform facing the possibility of having its license forfeited.  

republicasia had reached out to a person who’s participating in an online gambling activity. Granting his request to stay anonymous, this person will be referred to as Al Dan. 

Since the year of 2023, Al Dan has been participating in online gambling during the peak of NBA parlays. 

According to him, the NBA parlay has a better chance of winning than the online slot machines, and the thrill of having his prediction right about a specific player adds excitement to his play.  

He told republicasia that he doesn’t really let his wallet go dry upon placing his bet by only limiting his bet on the price ranging from P50 to P200. “It depends on the player’s past game stats and injury reports,” he said.  

For him to get into the game, he had an agent who put his money into the site’s account. 

Upon hearing about the proposed house bill, he stated that e-wallets should be linked to gambling sites. 

Al Dan further added that the said House Bill is just the government’s way to make money off it again for their own (benefit). “That’s the Philippine government for you, taking away your fun because they want a part of it and your money,” he said. 

Online gambling addiction in the country has a surged, and because of this, Senator Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri stated that online gambling is “quietly harming Filipinos, especially minors and the most vulnerable.”  

Due to its surge and consequence, Senator Zubiri began referring to it as a “silent epidemic.”  

While fun is the reason Al Dan gave for participating in online gambling, instead of fully prohibiting access to online gambling while recognizing the silent epidemic, he stated that it should instead be regulated. 

“Instead of prohibiting it, it should be regulated in a well-mannered, non-corrupted way.” He said. 

Al Dan further noted that Filipinos should be educated on this, especially when it comes to how addictive it can be. 

“It is addictive because you’d only need a few hundred pesos to participate in the bets and win high stakes of money,” He said. “When gambling is unchecked, it can be addictive, especially if you win big for the first time.”