The Philippines’ Department of Finance is said to be mulling a tax for the online gaming sector in the country, as well as the possibility of introducing stricter policies regarding access to digital gambling platforms.
Finance Secretary Ralph Recto told the BusinessWorld newspaper that his department is “cognisant of the concerns of Filipinos regarding online gambling”.
“Given this, we are already studying and will propose an online gaming tax,” he said, without providing more details, according to the report.
Regarding access to digital gambling platforms, Mr Recto was cited as saying the government was “studying other potential policy options to deter unimpeded and practically unrestricted access to gambling”.
He proposed implementing limits on playing time, cash-in amounts, and banning officials from gambling, as well as displaying clear warnings about the risks of gambling.
“However, a careful study must be done by regulatory authorities on the administrative feasibility of implementing these proposals, and other additional requirements that may be imposed to limit the potential harmful effects of gambling,” he told the BusinessWorld outlet.
This comes as some lawmakers are considering measures seeking stricter regulation of online gambling.
Representative Jonathan Keith Flores is said to be drafting a bill – to be submitted in the next seating of the House of Representatives – seeking to curb what he says is a growing integration of mobile electronic wallets with online gambling platforms.
Mr Flores said recently that the growing integration of e-wallets – such as GCash and Maya – with gambling platforms has made it easier to top up online betting accounts and continue gambling.
In the Philippines, some of these e-wallets feature a section where users can easily access various online gambling platforms, such as digital casinos and sports betting. A number of online gambling platforms allow users instantly to deposit funds to gamble using their e-wallets, with the information shared by these e-wallets also serving for registration purposes with the gambling platforms.
In addition, senator Sherwin Gatchalian filed recently a bill seeking to implement stricter regulations on online gambling, such as raising the minimum legal gambling age to 21 from 18.
The bill also proposes to hike the minimum cash-in requirement for online gambling platforms to PHP10,000 (US$178), with a PHP5,000 minimum top-up condition, according to BusinessWorld’s report.
“Due to its accessibility, online gambling activities have magnified the dangers from gambling and have been linked to the erosion of our moral fibres, as it has caused an increase in mental health problems, financial problems, addictive behaviour, vices, and crime rates,” Mr Gatchalian said as cited in a press release.
Central bank’s circular
The country’s central bank, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), published a statement on Thursday saying it would issue a circular requiring banks and e-wallet platforms to protect their users from risks associated with online gambling.
“The circular would seek to require BSP-supervised institutions, primarily banks and electronic money issuers, to better protect users of their digital platforms from these risks,” stated the institution.
“Protection may come in the form of various limits to gaming access,” it stated, adding that it was reviewing feedback from stakeholders regarding a draft circular.
“The BSP is taking a collaborative approach to crafting the circular, to ensure that the final policy strikes a balance between protecting consumers and preserving access to digital payments for licensed businesses,” it said.
Shares of some gaming-related companies ended lower in Thursday’s trading on the Philippine Stock Exchange. DigiPlus Interactive Corp – a holding company with investment in gaming and leisure businesses – fell by 13.9 percent on the day, to close at PHP38.75 per share.
The brand runs online bingo platform BingoPlus; ArenaPlus, a sportsbook; and GameZone, a platform for casual and arcade gaming.
The Philippine gaming sector – including non-casino operations – produced gross gaming revenue (GGR) of PHP104.12 billion in the opening quarter of 2025, up 27.4 percent from the prior-year period, according to data published in May by the country’s casino regulator, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pagcor).
The agency said at the time that the electronic gaming segment – including e-games and e-bingo – was “leading” in terms of generating revenue in the industry. The segment contributed PHP51.39 billion, or 49.4 percent, of the total first-quarter GGR, showed the data.
