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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Unsatisfied': Senators keen on barring e-wallet usage in online gambling sites

'Unsatisfied': Senators keen on barring e-wallet usage in online gambling sites

Published Aug 14, 2025 06:01 pm

At A Glance

  • Senators on Thursday, Aug. 14, described the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' (BSP) order for e-wallet apps to remove in-app online gambling links as insufficient. They batted for the total ban on e-wallets links to any gambling sites—legal or illegal—in a bid to curb the growing number of Filipinos engaged in online gambling.
Senators on Thursday, Aug. 14, became more determined to remove the convenience in accessing online gambling sites through e-wallet applications.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian joins his colleagues in calling for the immediate removal of e-wallet applications’ links to any form of online gambling. (Senate PRIB photo)
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian joins his colleagues in calling for the immediate removal of e-wallet applications’ links to any form of online gambling. (Senate PRIB photo)
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has ordered e-wallet applications to remove, within 48 hours, all online gambling links that appear on their respective platforms. But for some senators, this action is not enough.
Senator Erwin Tulfo, who presided over the first hearing of the Senate Committee on Games and Amusement on online gambling, said that this move would force gamblers to go to pay stations instead.
"Siguro, ang gawin natin alisin natin yung link ng mga e-wallets sa mga gambling (Perhaps we should consider removing the integration between e-wallets and gambling platforms)," he said in an interview after the hearing.
"Pero kung walang malinaw, hindi eh talagang we really have to stop this kasi maraming victims (But without clear regulations, we really need to stop this, as many people are falling victim to it)," he added.
"We’re not satisfied, I’m sorry, we’re not satisfied, really, really not satisfied," he said.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian echoed this, and called for the immediate removal of e-wallet applications’ links to any form of online gambling. Gatchalian disclosed that there are illegal online gambling that have been linked to e-wallet applications.
“My point is, Deputy Governor (Mamerto Tangonan), we're tightening legal online gambling, but the illegal kind is rampant. I'll tell you now that it's useless to talk to Gcash and PayMaya because they profit from both legal and illegal (online gambling)... whether legal or illegal, they make money,” Gatchalian said during the hearing.
”What we want to happen is that e-wallets can no longer be linked, whether legal or illegal. Let's not mandate GCash to screen whether something is illegal or legal; they won't do that. What we want is for everything to be delinked (in all online gambling),” he added.
Gatchalian said that as of May 2025, more than 32 million Filipinos--representing an increase of more than 200 percent--have been playing online gambling.
He added that BSP only removed the in-app capability, which means when someone opens their e-wallet app, they can no longer gamble there.
But if they go to the gambling websites, they can still link up with their GCash or Maya account.
"You can still link your savings account. It’s the same. It’s like nothing happened. So, I’m a bit disappointed with what I heard because they’re still waiting to have discussions," he added.

Related Tags

online gambling Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) e-wallet Erwin Tulfo Sherwin Gatchalian
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