Some say Pagcor deserves credit for ordering the removal of e-gambling billboard ads and vowing to limit other promotions. But the move comes off more as a publicity effort than a sign of meaningful structural reform.
It’s also long overdue. The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) didn’t have to wait for bishops to speak out or for lawmakers to file multiple bills before taking down the glaring advertisements along the highways.
If Pagcor truly wants to curb gambling addiction, it needs to implement structural changes. With the gravity of the problem and the ease with which the poor and the young can place bets via digital wallets and apps, removing billboards is, at best, symbolic. It’s certainly not enough.
Billboards may come down, but the real battleground is on our mobile phones, where literally flashy casino apps and influencers endorsing betting platforms continue to lure users into addiction and debt. The extent of gambling addiction in the country demands far deeper reforms.
Proposed legislation so far has called for changes such as an outright ban, setting restrictions on who may access these platforms and prohibiting the use of electronic wallets for gambling.
Pagcor chair and chief executive officer Alejandro Tengco was recently quoted warning against a total ban on online gambling, saying that it brings over P100 billion in revenue to the government. “Let’s not set this aside.” His preferred approach was not a ban, but stricter regulation. He also said the real problem was with illegal online operators that target Filipino customers.
What makes Pagcor’s recent decision unexpected is that it wasn’t prompted by a new executive order from Malacañang. Even lawmakers must have assumed the agency would wait for Congress to pass a law before taking action. Yet, the billboards were removed and promises were made to limit further promotions. This shift is not because of any policy change but as a response to growing public frustration from Congress and the Church.
Pagcor has long been seen as an enabler of the gambling industry, more inclined to promote than to police. Taking down the billboard ads, then, seems out of character. But if the agency were truly serious about protecting the public, it would confront the contradiction of being both a regulator and a promoter. With the government dependent on the success of the industry, public protection will always come behind profit.
People also have to realize that the gambling industry evolves faster than the laws being crafted to control it. To pass a law requires several steps before it reaches the President’s desk. The flashy billboards may be gone but already taking their place is an increase in targeted ads on TikTok and YouTube influencers promoting betting apps.
It’s not just about taking down billboards. Regulating e-gambling has to catch up with the online world, where young Filipinos are most exposed and where the rules may not be strictly enforced.