Sen, Sherwin Gatchalian —Niño Jesus Orbeta
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian has filed a resolution calling for a deeper look into the youth’s alarming engagement in online gambling, adding a specific concern to his earlier calls for the stricter regulation of the lucrative industry.
Gatchalian, who chaired the Senate committee on basic education during the 19th Congress, stressed the need to conduct the inquiry “for the purpose of crafting policy recommendations and responsive legislation.”
He noted that the Department of Education (DepEd) had culled data on at least eight “learner gambling incidents” from School Year 2020-2021 to the present.
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He also cited other reports of students being exposed to and are actively participating in online gambling platforms, such as Bingo Plus, OKBet, Piso Game, InstaWin, Inplay, EGames, Perya Game, Bet 88 and King Casino.
“[D]espite these reported learner gambling incidents, the DepEd currently has not released any specific department order that prohibits or provides sanctions for gambling among learners within schools,” he said in his resolution.
According to Gatchalian, the World Health Organization classifies gambling disorder as a behavioral addiction, with severe consequences for the youth, such as school absenteeism, theft, psychological distress, and long-term addictive behavior.
While students are barred by law from gambling, he said, there’s no clear national policy or education-based effort to curb online and offline gambling in schools.
“Because young people are often focused on their cell phones or computers, they are more easily enticed by online gambling advertisements found on websites and social media platforms such as Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. They just provide their basic information, and they can already access multiple promos and cash-in options,” he said.
Age verification lacking
Unlike traditional gambling platforms, Gatchalian said, the new digital gambling environments, some of which are illegal, exploit the vulnerabilities of learners by offering minimal to no age verification, high entertainment value, and instant gratification.
Presidential Decree (PD) No. 1869 prohibits persons under 21 years of age or students of any school, college or university in the Philippines from playing games of chance.
But the law does not impose specific penalties on establishments for violations involving the engagement of persons under 21 years of age or students of any school, college or university, rendering enforcement weak and dependent on casino compliance alone.
E-wallets as enablers
Gatchalian also said e-wallet services like GCash and Maya, while promoting financial inclusion and seamless digital transactions, had inadvertently become enablers of online gambling among learners, allowing easy cash-ins without strict identification requirements.
In the resolution, Gatchalian also stressed that gaming operators must be held responsible for exposing the youth to gambling.
“The renewed commitment to ethical business practices and responsible gaming issued by Solaire, Newport, and Okada acknowledges the societal impact of their operations,” he said.
But voluntary commitments are not enough, he said. “We need clear, binding regulations that hold these companies accountable for the potential harms of gambling.”
Gatchalian earlier filed a bill seeking to regulate online gambling. One of its key provisions calls for the removal of e-wallets as way to place bets on gambling apps.
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Under his bill, any online gambling operator that fails to implement a responsible gaming program will be held fully liable. INQ
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