Philippine lawmakers have revived calls for a nationwide ban on online gambling, arguing that digital gaming has become an enforcement and anti-money laundering pressure point even after the country moved to outlaw Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators. The renewed push has surfaced alongside broader government messaging about keeping illicit finance risks in check.
Attention is shifting from offshore hubs to domestic-facing iGaming and e-games that can reach players through mobile distribution and fast-moving payment channels.
Post-POGO policy focus widens
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Republic Act No. 12312, the Anti-POGO Act of 2025, in October 2025, institutionalizing a ban on offshore gaming operations and related services. Lawmakers backing a broader clampdown say online gambling now presents similar risks, from fraud to illicit funds movement.
Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri has previously filed Senate Bill 142, the Anti-Online Gambling Act of 2025, seeking to prohibit online gambling and expand blocking requirements across internet and payment infrastructure.
Dirty money fears are shaping the argument
Supporters of a ban have tied online gambling to money laundering exposure and consumer harm, framing the sector as difficult to police once products spread across apps, influencers, and informal marketing networks. The concern is less about a single platform and more about how quickly new brands can appear, collect deposits, and shift activity across channels.
Those arguments have been used to question whether licensing and compliance controls can keep pace with the growth of digital gambling offers.
Regulation bills compete with prohibition
Not every proposal calls for a shutdown. Other measures have been floated to regulate iGaming more tightly, including restrictions on advertising, deposit instruments, and age controls, alongside new tax proposals that would fund treatment and enforcement.
That split leaves Congress weighing two models in parallel: tighten and license domestic iGaming, or prohibit it and concentrate enforcement on blocking and prosecutions.
A new fault line after the offshore ban
With offshore gaming formally outlawed, online gambling has become the next legislative fight in Manila. Multiple bills are now pulling in lawmakers, regulators, and financial crime agencies with different definitions of what “control” should look like in a mobile-first market.
