The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pagcor), the country’s gaming regulator, and the Ad Standards Council (ASC) signed on Wednesday a memorandum of understanding to regulate all gambling-related advertisements across all media platforms. Under the agreement, gambling-related advertisements, including on digital platforms, will have to be pre-screened prior to public release.
Pagcor chairman and chief executive, Alejandro Tengco (pictured, right), and ASC chairperson, Golda Roldan (pictured, left), led the signing ceremony. The agreement is another effort to “promote responsible advertising” in the country’s gaming industry, said a press release by the gaming regulator.
According to the announcement, the agreement adds gambling to ASC’s list of “must-screen” categories.
“Almost a year ago, we began initial talks about this initiative. Today, we are gathered here to formally sign this agreement so that we can immediately execute everything we committed to in this memorandum of understanding,” Mr Tengco stated.
Under the agreement, all branded or corporate gambling ads – including television, radio, online, and outdoor advertising – must be reviewed and approved by ASC prior to public release to curb misleading content and protect vulnerable groups from potential harm.
ASC’s Ms Roldan said the collaboration underscores her organisation’s commitment to protect consumers, particularly in industries that require heightened sensitivity in messaging.
“We stand with Pagcor in our shared goal of protecting the Filipino people, especially in sectors like gambling where communication requires greater sensitivity and care,” she observed.
Earlier this month, the gaming regulator issued a directive ordering the removal of all gambling-related billboards and out-of-home advertisements, including from public transport systems like buses, jeepneys, taxis, and trains.
All Pagcor licensees and stakeholders were given until August 15 to completely remove all gambling-related outdoor adverstisements.
There has been a growing chorus of voices in the Philippines calling for changes to the online gaming sector, ranging from tighter restrictions on access to digital gambling platforms, to additional taxes, and a ban on the use of e-wallets for gambling purposes. There have even been calls for a complete ban by a number of senators.
On Tuesday, the undersecretary of the Presidential Communications Office, Claire Castro, said the Philippine leader, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, was reviewing calls for a total ban on the online gambling sector in the country. She said the President was carefully weighing the potential economic and social impacts of such a move.
Pagcor’s Mr Tengco suggested last week that the answer to concerns about online gambling within the country was tighter control, not a total ban.
