OPINION
Ed Javier
When The Poor Gamble, It's A Crime. When The Rich Gamble, It's Legal.
FILE
In a small barangay in Mexico, Pampanga, Atseng Lorna spends 5 pesos on jueteng, her heart fluttering with hope that today’s tiny bet could stretch her family’s food for the week.
In San Pablo, Laguna, recovering cancer survivors Ramon and Lisa gather friends for mahjong with 5–10 peso bets, laughter echoing through the afternoon as they tease and cheer each other on.
In Las Piñas City, Kuya Nardo and his companions gather at a wake, placing P10–20 peso bets in pusoy, tong-its, or 41, the tong collected to help cover funeral expenses of the deceased.
Small wagers. Shared joy. Survival.
Yet these are criminalized under Presidential Decree No. 1602 issued by former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, Sr.
Then the police arrive. they all face fines, humiliation, even jail. Their tiny stakes, punished.
Contrast this with today’s reality: millions of Filipinos, minors included, legally losing hundreds of millions, maybe billions, of pesos daily to online gaming operators.
PAGCOR reports that as of July 15, 2025, 32 million adult Filipinos are participating in online gambling, nearly half of the adult population.
A staggering number that should make any policymaker lose sleep.
We know that PAGCOR’s revenues are massive from these operators. But is it worth hundreds of billions in exchange for the destruction of millions of Filipino families?
Picture this: a child, crying because there is no money for baon or a school project, while his father is glued to his phone, betting away what little they have on an online gambling match.
That is the real cost.
Addiction is spreading fast, fueled by easy access, clever marketing, and zero meaningful safeguards. In other countries, they are banning or strictly limiting online gambling. Here, we seem to encourage it.
Unlike them whose small bets are punished, online gaming operators profit immensely, leaving families to bear the cost.
Productivity drops. Crime rises. Households fracture. The emotional toll? Devastating. The financial losses also drain the potential of our workforce, slowing national development.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) took a good first step, ordering e-wallet providers to disconnect online gaming platforms within 48 hours.
But it’s like putting a Band-Aid on a bleeding wound, millions are already addicted. Partial measures only slow the flood.
BSP’s action is helpful, but it is PAGCOR that must act decisively because they issued licenses to these online gaming firms.
It should be the principal regulator, ensuring operators do not prey on Filipinos, enforce strict limits, or, better yet, stop operations entirely.
The social costs are undeniable.
Gambling addiction quietly erodes families and communities. Children witness debt, frustration, despair. Workers lose focus. Families sink into poverty while operators rake in profits. The burden falls on ordinary Filipinos, not the companies.
The solution is clear: a total ban on online gambling. Partial regulation is not enough. Laws must protect citizens, not facilitate addiction.
Time for decisive action: shut down online gaming platforms, disconnect servers, and make participation impossible.
History will not forgive inaction. A nation where small, harmless bets are criminalized, yet millions are addicted to legal online gaming, is a nation turning a blind eye to disaster.
Families cannot wait. The Philippines needs a full and unequivocal ban, NOW. PRONTO.
Saan ka pa nakakita ng ganito? Kapag nagsugal ang mahirap, bawal; kapag nagsugal ang mayaman, legal!
Kung hindi aalagaan ng gobyerno ang mahihirap at ipagtatanggol ang pamilya laban sa ganitong pandarayang sumisira sa buhay at kinabukasan, sino pa?
Panahon na para permanenteng ipatigil ang online gambling bago pa nito lamunin ng daang bilyong pagkatalo at tuluyang wasakin ang milyon-milyong pamilyang Pilipino!
In San Pablo, Laguna, recovering cancer survivors Ramon and Lisa gather friends for mahjong with 5–10 peso bets, laughter echoing through the afternoon as they tease and cheer each other on.
In Las Piñas City, Kuya Nardo and his companions gather at a wake, placing P10–20 peso bets in pusoy, tong-its, or 41, the tong collected to help cover funeral expenses of the deceased.
Small wagers. Shared joy. Survival.
Yet these are criminalized under Presidential Decree No. 1602 issued by former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, Sr.
Then the police arrive. they all face fines, humiliation, even jail. Their tiny stakes, punished.
Contrast this with today’s reality: millions of Filipinos, minors included, legally losing hundreds of millions, maybe billions, of pesos daily to online gaming operators.
PAGCOR reports that as of July 15, 2025, 32 million adult Filipinos are participating in online gambling, nearly half of the adult population.
A staggering number that should make any policymaker lose sleep.
We know that PAGCOR’s revenues are massive from these operators. But is it worth hundreds of billions in exchange for the destruction of millions of Filipino families?
Picture this: a child, crying because there is no money for baon or a school project, while his father is glued to his phone, betting away what little they have on an online gambling match.
That is the real cost.
Addiction is spreading fast, fueled by easy access, clever marketing, and zero meaningful safeguards. In other countries, they are banning or strictly limiting online gambling. Here, we seem to encourage it.
Unlike them whose small bets are punished, online gaming operators profit immensely, leaving families to bear the cost.
Productivity drops. Crime rises. Households fracture. The emotional toll? Devastating. The financial losses also drain the potential of our workforce, slowing national development.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) took a good first step, ordering e-wallet providers to disconnect online gaming platforms within 48 hours.
But it’s like putting a Band-Aid on a bleeding wound, millions are already addicted. Partial measures only slow the flood.
BSP’s action is helpful, but it is PAGCOR that must act decisively because they issued licenses to these online gaming firms.
It should be the principal regulator, ensuring operators do not prey on Filipinos, enforce strict limits, or, better yet, stop operations entirely.
The social costs are undeniable.
Gambling addiction quietly erodes families and communities. Children witness debt, frustration, despair. Workers lose focus. Families sink into poverty while operators rake in profits. The burden falls on ordinary Filipinos, not the companies.
The solution is clear: a total ban on online gambling. Partial regulation is not enough. Laws must protect citizens, not facilitate addiction.
Time for decisive action: shut down online gaming platforms, disconnect servers, and make participation impossible.
History will not forgive inaction. A nation where small, harmless bets are criminalized, yet millions are addicted to legal online gaming, is a nation turning a blind eye to disaster.
Families cannot wait. The Philippines needs a full and unequivocal ban, NOW. PRONTO.
Saan ka pa nakakita ng ganito? Kapag nagsugal ang mahirap, bawal; kapag nagsugal ang mayaman, legal!
Kung hindi aalagaan ng gobyerno ang mahihirap at ipagtatanggol ang pamilya laban sa ganitong pandarayang sumisira sa buhay at kinabukasan, sino pa?
Panahon na para permanenteng ipatigil ang online gambling bago pa nito lamunin ng daang bilyong pagkatalo at tuluyang wasakin ang milyon-milyong pamilyang Pilipino!
Aug 18, 2025
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