Philippine lawmaker seeks to block gambling app access through e-wallets

Bukidnon Rep. Keith Flores is set to file a bill banning gambling apps from linking directly to e-wallets, citing the rise of online gaming and its growing impact on vulnerable users.

Flores said on Tuesday that mobile wallets have become gateways to gambling by offering direct access to digital casinos and sports betting platforms, the Daily Tribune reported. He warned that the convenience of funding gambling accounts straight from e-wallets encourages impulsive betting and deeper addiction.

“From the e-wallet itself, there is a list of games. It’s so convenient for someone with an e-wallet to load or top up to continue playing online gambling,” Flores said. “People are more motivated to gamble more.”

He added that e-wallets even offer loans, worsening the problem by letting users borrow money to keep gambling. Flores called these platforms “channels of addiction,” especially harmful to the poor and the youth.

Online gambling, including e-sabong and Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), now outlawed, thrived during the Duterte administration, particularly at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the industry generated revenues and employment, critics argue it has also worsened social and economic inequalities, especially among the poor and youth.

Flores also raised concerns about the role of social media and digital advertising in promoting gambling to a wide audience, including the youth. "Anywhere you look, you'll see them, and it encourages everyone to join, to participate in online gambling," the Bukidnon Rep. said.

The bill, to be filed when the 20th Congress opens in July, aims to cut the connection between e-wallets and gambling sites, block payment processing for online betting, and impose stricter controls on digital financial services.

Flores said it is not a total ban—yet—but if the problem grows, Congress may consider one. He also urged the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate e-wallet companies that promote gambling in their apps.

Meanwhile, Manila Rep. Rolando Valeriano echoed Flores’ concerns and urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to revoke all administrative issuances that currently allow any form of online gambling. He further recommended that online gambling be classified as a punishable cybercrime through executive action.

“Online gambling apps must be stopped. This is a poison that is diluting the minds of the poor and dissolving the future of the youth,” he said.

Valeriano also proposed that all licensed gambling operations be confined to physical venues regulated by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) or the Games and Amusements Board — and located far from residential areas.