According to The Inquirer, the Catholic Church in the Philippines has renewed its call for a total ban on online gambling, arguing that the industry causes serious social damage, despite government claims about its economic benefits.
Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), voiced strong disapproval during the Philippine Conference on New Evangelisation in Manila. He disclosed that Alejandro Tengco, chairman of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor), recently responded to the CBCP’s July 7 pastoral letter with a formal justification, highlighting the large revenues generated by online gambling.
Pagcor claims the sector brings in over PHP 100 billion annually, funding government initiatives and providing employment to over 30,000 people. Cardinal David, however, rejected this reasoning, comparing it to endorsing other harmful behaviors for the sake of profit. “You might as well legalize other addictions,” he said, stressing that such logic ignores the broader social consequences. He also questioned the effectiveness of regulating access for younger, tech-savvy users, calling online gambling a form of “modern-day slavery” and comparing its addictive traits to social media’s detrimental impact on mental health and relationships.
While President Marcos has yet to make a clear statement, regulators and companies like GCash, Maya, and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas have begun tightening restrictions on gambling transactions and advertising. Simultaneously, lawmakers have proposed legislation ranging from stricter regulations to full prohibition.
Nonetheless, critics argue that outlawing online gambling does not eliminate it, but rather pushes it into the black market – failing to resolve either its ethical dilemmas or real-world consequences.
