Philippine online gambling transactions fell by up to 50% after e-wallet ban, PAGCOR says

PAGCOR’s assistant vice president revealed the figure during a Senate Committee on Games and Amusement.

The Philippines.- Jessa Mariz Fernandez, assistant vice president of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), has said that online gambling transactions have dropped by 40 to 50 per cent since the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) banned e-wallets from linking to online gaming platforms on August 17. 

Speaking at the Senate Committee on Games and Amusement hearing on Tuesday (September 16), Fernandez said the drop was observed within the first two weeks of the delinking based on data from the Accounting and Electronic Gaming Licensing Department.

She also mentioned PAGCOR’s upcoming launch of an artificial intelligence-powered tool designed to detect illegal gambling websites in real time. The tool, which would coordinate with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), and Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), would allow quicker blocking of unlicensed operators.

She also reiterated PAGCOR’s stance in favour of stricter regulation of online gambling rather than a ban.

Meanwhile, Senator Risa Hontiveros called for the regulation on the use of e-wallets in online gambling, citing the rise of unregulated digital transactions. “The unregulated use of e-wallets in online gambling is deeply concerning. There are a lot of compliance requirements that have to be made with platforms like GCash and PayMaya,” she said.

Senator Erwin Tulfo, chair of the committee, said the committee would continue to assess the social and economic implications of online gambling as part of its review of pending legislation.

The Senate has begun deliberations on several bills aimed at more strictly regulating or outright banning online gambling. Lawmakers remain divided over the issue and the Philippine government has stressed that it will not rush into a decision regarding a possible ban.

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PAGCOR’s assistant vice president revealed the figure during a Senate Committee on Games and Amusement. The Philippines.- Jessa Mariz Fernandez, assistant vice president of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation…