At A Glance
- Manila 2nd district Rep. Rolando Valeriano said Saturday, July 5, that he will file a bill banning operations of e-sabong, as he looks to join other lawmakers in both chambers in the quest to prohibit online gambling in the country.
Manila 2nd district Rep. Rolando Valeriano said Saturday, July 5, that he will file a bill banning operations of e-sabong, as he looks to join other lawmakers in both chambers in the quest to prohibit online gambling in the country.
Valeriano said the measure he will file in the House of Representatives this 20th Congress will revoke permits and licenses issued to e-sabong and other online gambling operations.
It will also go after the gambling operators themselves, so that companies with electronic payments and e-wallets will not have any licensed gambling operators to deal with in the first place.
''In other words, my bill directly addresses the main problem, not the e-wallets and e-payments,'' he said.
Over in the Senate, Senator Juan Miguel ''Migz'' Zubiri also filed a bill seeking an outright ban on online gambling, which he called a silent epidemic.
Zubiri's bill, the proposed Anti-Online Gambling Act of 2025, seeks to prohibit all forms of online gambling, including digital betting platforms, mobile applications and websites that allow users to place wagers through phones, tablets and computers.
Suggestions to BSP
Valeriano also lauded the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on its move to draft a new circular meant to address online gambling.
It followed Valeriano's remark last June 24, when he called on the BSP to prohibit any electronic payment systems and e-wallets from being online gambling tools and conduits.
''I am aware that the BSP can only work within current laws, not beyond them'', he said.
He also recommended that the bettors themselves be regulated.
''What they can do are: raise gambling age limits, raise minimum bets, probably set bet ceilings, and impose stricter 'know your customer' standards, among others,'' he said.
The Manila lawmaker also suggested that the BSP ensure that gambling operators use e-payments and e-wallets onsite at gambling venues, not offsite.
The BSP should also prohibit local e-payments and e-wallets from linking up with foreign gambling operators with no current licenses to operate in the Philippines, he added.