Church stands firm vs online gambling, insists on total ban
The Catholic Church has remained firm that a total ban should be imposed on online gambling despite the government and private sector already taking steps to restrict access to its various platforms.
Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), said the social ills brought by online gambling far outweigh the supposed billions of revenues it brings into government coffers.
David, speaking at the 11th Philippine Conference on New Evangelization in Manila on Friday, also revealed that Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) chair Alejandro Tengco recently sent him a letter defending “point by point” the issues raised by the CBCP in its July 7 pastoral letter urging the government to outlaw online gambling.
Revenue loss
Tengco, David related, maintained that a total ban would make the government “lose a lot of money” that it can use for its social programs.
“That’s their reasoning. No matter if it is very addictive especially for young people. How is that for a reason?” David said.
“So I responded, ‘Just legalize shabu (crystal meth). In that way the government will still earn. Just legalize all other sources of addiction for Filipinos [because that’s the same logic],’” he added.
The cardinal also said it was impossible to deny access to tech-savvy youth contrary to what regulators and stakeholders claim as the best way to stop the addiction.
“Do you really believe that you can control digital natives from the way they access any application online? I do not know if that’s possible,” David said.
“I am sorry, but I do not agree that you can regulate something criminal. It (online gambling) is criminal through and through,” he added.
‘Modern-day slavery’
According to Pagcor, the government earns more than P100 billion from online gambling. It added that the sector also provides jobs for about 32,000 directly, and thousands more from its ancillary businesses, including security guards, messengers and other industries.
David, however, likened online gambling to “modern-day slavery” and compared it to addiction to social media.
“How many families have been destroyed by gambling debts? How many young people spend hours scrolling, seeking validation in likes and shares, losing the capacity to be present and losing even their social skills to build natural friendships? We are all vulnerable to it,” David asked.
“Slavery is real. But I have good news for you: If slavery is real, so is the promise of freedom,” he said.
Moral crisis
David, who has been sounding the alarm on the social maladies brought by online gambling for the past few years, said this is when the Catholic Church comes in a “place of liberation.”
“Addictions thrive in isolation, but freedom grows in communion. When we listen to each other’s wounds, when we accompany one another, when we are able to say, ‘I see you, I hear you,’ we help one another walk out of darkness,” the bishop said.
The CBCP has earlier called on the government to outlaw all forms of online gambling, calling it “a deep and widespread moral crisis” affecting the country.
In a pastoral letter, the bishops also urged authorities to tighten oversight of online payment systems to prevent their use in gambling.
The Church has been taking the lead in the war against social ills from illegal drugs, Philippine offshore gaming operators or Pogos, “e-sabong” and now, online gambling.
Under review
President Marcos has not yet given his official position on the issue, but Malacañang said it was reviewing the broader implications of banning all forms of online gambling.
Earlier this month, Fintech Alliance Philippines said its members—which include major financial technology companies like GCash and Maya—were preparing to implement “robust due diligence measures” to ensure that users of digital payment platforms have “strictly controlled” access to online gaming.
GCash also tightened its rules on online gambling promotions on its platform, to “promote safer gaming practices and ensure that GCash and partner merchants remain compliant with the laws and regulations,” according to a July 11 letter to its partner merchants as seen by the Inquirer. The directive was implemented on July 16.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has also proposed tighter regulations to limit the use of digital payment platforms for online gambling, including a daily cap on fund transfers for bettors and heightened due diligence for operators of e-games.
Pagcor and the Ad Standards Council also signed a memorandum of understanding on July 16 for the regulation and prescreening of gambling-related advertisements across all media platforms.
Several lawmakers have also recently filed bills aimed at regulating or banning online gambling, citing its growing harm to vulnerable sectors, particularly minors. —WITH A REPORT FROM INQUIRER RESEARCH
