Rowegie Abanto

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Pangilinan urges congressional inquiry into online gambling

ABS-CBN News

<div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17537573307571753757328740.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false" style="text-align:left">A user demonstrates a mobile gambling app on July 11, 2025. <em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Sen. Francis &quot;Kiko&quot; Pangilinan on Tuesday urged Congress to launch inquiries into what he called the &quot;dangerous normalization&quot; of online gambling, which President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. did not mention in his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA).</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/7/28/cbcp-rues-marcos-sona-silence-on-online-gambling-2212">CBCP rues Marcos&#x27; SONA silence on online gambling</a></div><p>Many had expected that Marcos would address the issue of online gambling in his Monday&#x27;s SONA, especially after some lawmakers and civil society groups proposed varying degrees of regulation on the controversial industry.</p><p>Online gambling, proponents of tighter regulation say, has become so widespread and accessible that it has led many into addiction, affecting their personal lives and families.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/7/17/recovering-online-gambling-addict-says-he-lost-over-p1-million-1926?fbclid=IwY2xjawL1C2VleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETF0bDRqdzFSVHV3MnlCeXljAR4RoEgAd7D9Tr3Aqp9gDFCvplxmhmSKMSUsN8qIJTa1bT_y0xqdZeq3oz73YQ_aem_-riytKcj2zIUVgktYjSfww">Recovering online gambling addict says he lost over P1 million</a></div><p>In a statement, Pangilinan said Congress should look into the &quot;unchecked promotion&quot; of online gambling &quot;across all media.&quot;</p><p>&quot;At a time when millions of Filipinos are struggling to put food on the table—when poverty and inflation leave families grasping for relief—this kind of aggressive, unchecked promotion is not just irresponsible. It is dangerous,&quot; he said.</p><p>He urged government regulators to investigate media platforms and &quot;crack down on those operating without full compliance and transparency.&quot;</p><p>The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center has ordered content creators on social media to stop promoting illegal online gambling sites.</p><p>The agency added that it has coordinated with social media platforms on the blocking of illicit online gaming websites.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/technology/2025/7/18/influencers-still-promoting-illegal-gambling-could-face-estafa-cases-cicc-1254">Influencers still promoting illegal gambling could face estafa cases: CICC</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>SOCIAL COST</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>In a separate interview on ANC, Pangilinan said he believes that the government should just ban online gambling if it cannot effectively regulate the industry.</p><p>He added that the &quot;social costs&quot; of online gambling &quot;far outweigh&quot; the revenue it generates for the country.</p><p>The senator pointed to the now-illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators, which had been linked to heinous crimes, including trafficking, kidnapping, and scam activities.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/7/8/cbcp-joins-calls-to-regulate-online-gambling-1148">&#x27;Deep moral problem&#x27;: CBCP joins calls to regulate online gambling</a></div><p>He wished that what Marcos had done to POGOs — outlawed in his SONA 2024 — should now be applied to online gambling.</p><p>&quot;Kung iimbestigahan ito dapat ng Senado, tingnan natin yung social cost, sino-sino ang mga yan, yung mga involved, how many consumers are actually betting,&quot; he said. </p><p>(If the Senate is going to investigate this, they should look into the social cost, who these people are, who&#x27;s involved, and how many consumers are actually betting.)</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/7/20/online-gambling-harming-filipino-families-says-marcos-jr-0637">Online gambling harming Filipino families, says Marcos Jr</a></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/6/19/palace-says-ph-removing-thousands-of-illegal-scatter-gambling-websites-1645">Palace says PH removing thousands of illegal &#x27;Scatter&#x27; gambling websites</a></div><script data-wid="auto" type="text/javascript" src="https://content.viralize.tv/display/?zid=AAFz86TOfDIfqXIe&amp;cid=ABdIxu8z4vx1lPFz"></script>

<p>"This kind of aggressive, unchecked promotion is not just irresponsible. It is dangerous," Sen. Kiko Pangilinan said.</p>

"This kind of aggressive, unchecked promotion is not just irresponsible. It is dangerous," Sen. Kiko Pangilinan said.

Pangilinan wants inquiry into online gambling after Marcos skips issue in SONA 2025

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Pangilinan wants inquiry into online gambling after Marcos skips issue in SONA 2025

Rowegie Abanto,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 29, 2025 11:02 AM PHT

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Updated July 29, 2025 01:42 PM PHT

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