By means of Aubrey Rose A. Inosante, Reporter
MARK (name has been changed), a 38-year-old financial executive, is counting losses in personal relationships and still paying off debts worth P5 million after going on an online casino outing in 2020.
What started as a casual pastime during the coronavirus pandemic quickly turned into a high-stakes habit, with him betting as much as half a million pesos on a single deck of cards.
“I started playing at online casinos when the pandemic hit in 2020,” he said Business world. “At that time, local operators were not yet available, so I had to use online casinos from offshore operators in countries like Cyprus, Malta and Curaçao.”
With a convenient work-from-home setup, he could play all day.
His gambling problem started five years earlier, in 2015, when he dabbled in land-based casinos and burned $5,000 every Friday after a taxing week at work.
“My online casino bets started to increase as I became more addicted,” he said. “At the height of my addiction I was spending as much as 200,000 euros a day.”
He bet as much as P500,000 when he won in card games, and P5,000 per spin on a slot machine.
Despite the departure of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) and a ban on online cockfighting, state revenues from online gambling continue to grow.
The sector is posting “triple-digit growth” almost every month, state-controlled Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. said. (PAGCOR) in an email response to questions.
In September alone, PAGCOR exceeded its target of P100 billion in gross gaming revenue for the e-gamer and e-bingo sector by 2024, the report said.
“This remarkable achievement gives us confidence that we can easily achieve our target of 150 billion gross gaming revenues for electronic and online games by 2025,” the government-owned company said.
PAGCOR Chairman and CEO ofFicer Alejandro H. Tengco previously said the POGO ban would not impact the country’s gross gaming revenue, adding that he expects electronic gaming to make up for it.
Mr. Tengco expects sales to have exceeded P350 billion last year, while PAGCOR’s net profit is likely to rise from P6.81 billion in 2023 to about P12 to P15 billion in 2024.
According to the PAGCOR website, as of December 18, there are 59 accredited service providers and registered domains and 12 approved online gaming platforms for licensed casinos.
“The social costs extend far beyond pesos and centavos and include negative spillovers into areas such as morality and crime,” George N. Manzano, who teaches commerce at the University of Asia and the Pacific, said in a Viber message.
Gambling undermines social values, puts pressure on the well-being of the community and burdens the justice system, he pointed out. Mr Manzano also mentioned the risk of a slippery slope from gambling to crimes.
“Ultimately the decision depends on political considerations. How much does society value the social ills associated with gambling compared to the revenue it generates?” he asked.
Mark mentioned at the beginning lost more than 20 million euros in 2021 through his online gambling activities after taking out loans from credit cards, banks, loan sharks and even people he knew. His addiction spilled over into his marriage and family.
He tried counseling and was prescribed medication that only worked for a few months. He attempted suicide twice before being admitted to a rehabilitation center.
“My wife finally decided to give up on me, and while I was admitted to a rehabilitation center, she decided to let it go and move on without me in the picture,” he said. She later filed a request for annulment.
Mark stayed at the facility for 15 months and never looked back. He has been sober for three years and his sister manages his finances.
Looking back, Mark said what made online gambling addictive was the ease of playing and depositing online. “Everything is within reach. You play practically 24/7 while doing something else, plus make money easily with e-wallets, credit cards, debit cards or through online banking.”
Reagan P. Praferosa, international recovery coach and founder and chairman of Recovering Gamblers of the Philippines, said most calls to their support hotline come from online gamblers.
“Out of ten callers, only one is a caller [physical] casino player,” he said Business world by phone, adding that most gamblers who contact them use e-wallet platforms such as GCash and Maya and food and transportation platform Grab.
E-wallet platforms usually have links to various gaming platforms such as BingoPlus, ArenaPlus and PeryaGame.
Myla, 34, came across BingoPlus while exploring an e-wallet platform in July 2024. She bet €1,400 with her e-wallet and won €50,000. She continued to gamble until she lost all her winnings and her savings.
“Unlike physical casinos that are far away, you can gamble online wherever you are. The temptation is always there,” she said Business world via Zoom.
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She recently decided to quit her online gambling addiction and find solace in online support groups. She has also requested a ban from BingoPlus twice, but no action has been taken yet.
Mr. Praferosa urged PAGCOR to adopt one ofFice within the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) which would ban players from certain gambling websites at the request of the gamblers or their families.
“They can implement huge bans,” he said. “The NTC can also ban the IP address of a gambler’s mobile phone.”
This should be easy, he said, noting that the government under ex-President Rodrigo R. Duterte banned several pornographic websites in 2017. The NTC was ordered to block the websites under the anti-child pornography law.
“The NTC is very powerful. All our mobile phones have NTC stickers. NTC provides the phone, serial number, IP address and each chip. They can block all gambling sites,” Mr Praferosa said.
He added that blocking individual players is easier than banning an entire gambling website.
To address the negative effects of online gambling, especially on youth, PAGCOR said it maintains a code of practice within its own gambling companies and gambling entities that it regulates.
“One of the key features of the code is the player exclusion program, which allows players or their families to voluntarily exclude themselves from gambling activities if they recognize signs of gambling addiction,” the report said.
PAGCOR also partners with Bridges of Hope and Life Change Recovery Center, Inc., both of which provide life coaching, counseling, psychological support, alternative wellness programs and treatment for compulsive gamblers and their families.
The company is “fully aware of the social costs associated with the growing online and electronic gaming sector,” the report said. “However, gambling cannot be completely eradicated because it stems from a basic human desire for amusement and entertainment.”
This year, PAGCOR plans to further reduce remittance rates for online and on-site gambling platforms to encourage more investment in the gambling sector and push illegal gambling operators to join the mainstream.
“This move should help operators reduce operational costs, improve profitability and encourage reinvestment in better technology and services, ultimately improving the gaming experience for players,” the report said.
Dylan, a 29-year-old former e-sports gambler, said Filipinos, especially the poor, are lured by advertisements on various online gambling platforms that promise huge returns.
“Many of us are looking for financial stability, so we are easily seduced by promises of big returns,” he said in a Zoom interview. “But what people don’t realize is that you have to invest so much.”
Dylan, who started using sports betting apps like Rivalry, 1XBET and 747 in 2023, is still paying back his six-figure debt. He has tried to quit his gambling addiction and has had many relapses, he said.
Senator Robinhood Ferdinand “Robin” C. Padilla has introduced a bill that aims to ban the online publication and promotion of gambling-related content. The bill is currently before the committee.
Violators may face a prison term of six months to one year and a fine of P300,000 to P500,000.
“The maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment and a fine of P500,000 shall also be imposed if the offender linked the prohibited content to any online gambling site or received any form of compensation or commission for publishing the prohibited content,” it said a copy of the Senate bill.