Philippines president ‘not opposed’ to iGaming sin tax
Almost a year after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr banned Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs), he’s considering competing measures to reduce the social costs of online gambling or prohibit it outright.
Two proposals are on the table.
House Bill 1351
House Bill 1351, the Kontra e-Sugal Act of 2025, was introduced on Monday. It would impose a 10% tax on online gaming revenue and use the proceeds to fund problem gambling resources. It would bar most iGaming ads, ban the use of e-wallets for transactions and restrict credit card payments to low-risk players. The legislation would require iGaming operators to identify and discourage risky gambling behaviour and limit games to adults under 21.
“We need a whole-of-government approach if we want to combat the ill effects of online gambling,” said Representative Chel Diokno of the Philippines Akbayan Party, co-sponsor of the bill. “We cannot gamble away our youth’s future. Our children cannot become collateral in the jackpot dreams of gambling tycoons.”
In a press briefing, presidential spokeswoman Claire Castro said Marcos is “listening to the plight” of Filipinos addicted to online gambling and will review the proposal.
“The president is aware of what could happen to those addicted to gambling,” Castro told reporters. “He will not oppose it as long as there is sufficient study regarding the tax.”
Senate Bill 142
Senate Bill 142, the Anti-Online Gambling Act of 2025, also filed on Monday, would ban all digital gambling platforms. Sponsor Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri called gambling addiction a “silent epidemic” that will continue to spread if unchecked.
“The lives of our fellow Filipinos are being ruined,” said Zubiri. “Crime rates are rising. Filipino workers are sinking into massive debt, which is severely affecting their mental health.”
Those negative repercussions far outweigh the financial benefits, he said. The Philippines iGaming sector generated PHP47 billion ($831 million) in revenue for the first quarter of 2025.
In an interview with the Philippine Inquirer, Lanao del Sur Representative Zia Alonto Adiong supported a blanket ban on iGaming. “If you want to take down the evil tree, the bad tree, you don’t just trim the branches, you uproot it,” he said.
Senator JV Ejercito did not call for a ban, but urged immediate and stricter regulation of the sector, saying it poses a greater threat to public welfare than POGOs.
“There’s almost no limitation to access. In just one click, anybody can gamble,” he said in a statement. “In POGOs, usually the victims were foreigners. But in online gambling, our very own fellow Filipinos are hit – workers, parents, even the youth. This is worse because we are the ones gradually deteriorating.”
A fight in the Philippines
Zubiri said he does not expect a swift resolution to the problems associated with iGaming, an industry backed by “very wealthy and powerful” people.
“It’s going to be a tough fight,” he told The Inquirer. “Those lobbying against the ban haven’t started flexing their muscles yet.”