The proliferation of online casinos in the Philippines has led to a surge in online gambling addiction, particularly among private sector employees.
With the rise of domestic online casinos in the Philippines, online gambling addiction is increasingly affecting private sector employees. A BusinessWorld report highlighted the experiences of individuals like Mark, Myla, and Dylan, all of whom have struggled with this issue.
For Mark, what began as casual online gaming during the 2020 pandemic rapidly escalated into a severe addiction, with individual bets reaching as high as P500,000. Working from home exacerbated the problem, allowing him to gamble throughout the day. He admitted to wagering at least this amount on single card games, accumulating significant debt through various sources, including credit cards, banks, loan sharks, and personal loans, which severely impacted his family life.
His gambling habit predated the pandemic, however, with weekly P5,000 losses at physical casinos starting in 2015. As his online addiction worsened, his daily spending peaked at P200,000, with bets of up to P500,000 on winning card hands and P5,000 per slot machine spin.
Myla, 34, discovered BingoPlus in July 2024 through an e-wallet platform. An initial P1,400 bet yielded a P50,000 win, but she continued playing until she lost both her winnings and her savings. She noted the constant temptation of online gambling compared to the physical distance of traditional casinos. Myla is now seeking support through online groups to combat her addiction, but her two requests to be banned from BingoPlus have gone unanswered.
Reagan P. Praferosa, an international recovery coach and founding chairman of Recovering Gamblers of the Philippines, reports that most calls to their hotline come from online gamblers, many of whom use e-wallet platforms like GCash and Maya, which are often linked to gaming platforms such as BingoPlus, ArenaPlus, and PeryaGame.
Dylan, who began using sports betting apps like Rivalry, 1XBET, and 747 in 2023, is still working to repay a six-figure gambling debt.
This surge in addiction coincides with the growth of local online gaming operations, as the government outlawed offshore gaming operations in the country. PAGCOR data revealed near-consistent triple-digit monthly growth in online gambling activity within the Philippines.
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