Vice President Sara Duterte made clear her opposition to online gambling, stressing the harm it brings to Filipino families, particularly to the younger generation.
“I am against online gambling,” Duterte firmly stated during an ambush interview in The Hague, Netherlands. Speaking in a mix of Filipino and English, she emphasized that internet access among youth is difficult to monitor and that online gambling platforms exploit this, making it easy for users to lose money and fall into debt.
“Once you get addicted to online gambling, families will have problems due to growing debt,” she warned.
Duterte underscored that while she supports regulated gambling with safeguards in place, she draws the line at online access. “If you put it online where we can’t control who can open an account to gamble, I am not in favor of that because it destroys families and the future of the youth,” she said.
Her comments come amid growing concerns over the rapid spread of online gambling in the country. Last July 15, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro acknowledged the sensitivity of the issue, saying that any decision to ban online gambling should be approached with caution. Earlier, she also noted that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is open to taxing online gaming operators, provided there are sound studies backing such proposals.
Lawmakers have also started moving in response. Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri filed the Anti-Online Gambling Act of 2025, which seeks a nationwide ban on all forms of online betting, including digital platforms, apps, and websites. Other senators, including Risa Hontiveros and Sherwin Gatchalian, proposed separate bills targeting the use of e-wallets and super apps in gambling activities.
On the House side, Akbayan Party-list representatives Chel Diokno, Perci Cendaña, Dadah Ismula, and Dinagat Islands Rep. Kaka Bag-ao introduced House Bill No. 1351 or the “Kontra E-Sugal Bill,” aimed at addressing what they described as the escalating gambling addiction among youth.
The legislative and executive branches are now under pressure to strike a balance between regulation and protection, as the debate over online gambling continues to intensify.
