The national government has intensified its total crackdown against illegal online gambling but appeals for a strict regulation instead of a total ban are increasing as one agency warned that it could push even the licensed platforms to go underground.

The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) said its purge of illegal online gambling sites is on full swing in cooperation with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and other law enforcement agencies.

However, CICC Executive Director Renato “Aboy” Paraiso noted that sound judgment favors the imposition of stricter regulations on internet gaming as a more prudent course of action for all stakeholders rather than pursuing a total ban.

“An absolute ban of the internet gaming will push even the licensed and regulated platforms to go off-grid which, by then, will take a protracted hide-and-seek law enforcement to catch them,” the lawyer warned.

The CICC, an agency under the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), has intensified its efforts to dismantle illegal internet gambling networks across the country, leading to the arrest of foreign nationals, the seizure of fraudulent digital infrastructure, and the closure of several offshore gaming hubs masquerading as legitimate enterprises.

Paraiso said 131 individuals, including 96 foreign nationals, were arrested by the CICC and law enforcers from the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) in Makati City on March 19 as the suspects were caught operating an illegal online gambling platform under the guise of a software service provider.

He said digital forensic evidence, including mobile phones, laptops, SIM cards, IDs, and company documents, were confiscated on-site.

Three Chinese nationals linked to an illegal gambling and online prostitution syndicate were also nabbed by the CICC in Santa Rosa, Laguna on February 16. The operation, held jointly with the PAOCC and Bureau of Immigration (BI), targeted high-risk foreign nationals in non-Metro Manila regions.

Since the beginning of 2025, Paraiso said the CICC has supported cybercrime intelligence operations that led to the arrest of 5,099 individuals involved in cyber-related crimes from January to mid-June.

Paraiso said a significant portion of the arrests involved former personnel of illegal gambling networks that had been associated with Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogos), the operations of which were completely banned by President Marcos Jr.

Of those arrested, 608 individuals were caught through entrapment operations, with 116 already convicted, according to coordinated agency reports.

Paraiso added that the CICC also continues to expose and block infrastructure used by illegal gambling syndicates, including SIM card fraud and unregistered e-wallet operations.

He said this supports the agency’s broader mandate under the Cybercrime Prevention Act to disrupt online-based criminal activity, particularly those exploiting digital channels to operate clandestine gambling enterprises.

“These developments are part of the government’s intensified crackdown following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s policy direction to phase out illegal offshore gaming hubs and penalize associated cyber operations,” Paraiso noted.

He, however, said that revenue in billions of pesos for government projects and jobs for thousands of Filipino workers “are important considerations that must also be factored in against the total internet gaming ban.”

He emphasized that putting in place clear guardrails for online gambling would be the shared responsibility of all stakeholders including the regulators, internet providers, platform operators, and parents, to protect minors and prevent addiction.