E-wallets to be restricted from linking with online gambling under House bill

A MEASURE seeking to prohibit the promotion of online gambling on e-wallets has been proposed at the House of Representatives.

Five congressmen filed on July 1, 2025 House Bill 721 or the proposed Anti-Online Online Gambling Promotions in E-Wallets Act.

Under the bill, it shall be unlawful for operators of e-wallet mobile applications to:

* Redirect users to any online gambling platform, website, or application through links, QR codes, or similar digital means;

* Distribute information online on the placing, receiving, or transmitting of a bet or wager through any online gambling website, platform, or application;

* Display, publish, or host online gambling advertisements within their applications or user interfaces; and

* Promote gambling activities online to the general public.

Once enacted, violators will be fined, and a third offense will lead to a permanent revocation of their business license.

“Alongside financial inclusion and the ease of transactions, a troubling social and cultural trend has emerged: e-wallets have become gateways to gambling by providing direct access to digital casinos and sports betting platforms,” Representatives Jonathan Keith Flores, Jose Manuel Alba, Laarni Roque, Audrey Zubiri, and Arlyn Ayon said in their explanatory note.

“Online gambling is a moral, financial and public health concern. Without proper safeguards, e-wallets risk becoming traps for vulnerable Filipinos and safe havens for gambling additions. Thus, this bill aims to ensure responsibility and accountability among e-wallet platforms to prevent their exploitation in promoting gambling-related activities and behaviors,” they added.

In response to the growing gambling issue, Akbayan Party-list is also set to file a bill seeking to strictly regulate online gambling, imposing firm age restrictions on e-gambling platforms and removing access to e-wallet services, often used to easily fund online bets.

“Sa sugal, hindi chips o pera, kundi pangarap ang nakataya. Sa bawat cash-in sa e-gambling app, may pamilyang nawawasak at kabataang ninanakawan ng kinabukasan. They say ‘you win some, you lose some’ — but only the big gambling corporations win from the dreams others lost,” Akbayan Party-list’s Rep. Chel Diokno said.

The proposed measure will also seek to mandate strict age-verification mechanisms and impose penalties on operators who fail to implement restrictions, especially on targeted advertising and pop-ups.

For its part, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on July 3 said it will come out with regulations meant to protect users of digital platforms from risks associated with online gambling.

According to the BSP, it has already circulated a draft circular and is currently reviewing feedback from stakeholders. (ABS-CBN News)