Filipino lawmaker welcomes crackdown on igaming payments
Juan Miguel Zubiri, the Philippines’ Senate Deputy Minority Leader, has welcomed the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ move to tighten rules on payment service providers linked to igaming.
The bank’s plan would bar payment service providers from providing links to gambling sites and impose stricter controls on transactions, including a daily cap of 20% of an account’s average balance and a six-hour transaction window for gambling-related payments. Any transactions that exceed the limits have to be declined.
“I applaud the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas on its decisive move to enforce tighter restrictions on payment service providers engaged in online gambling payment services,” Zubiri said, speaking to reporters.
The senator also noted that without regulatory intervention, enforcement and education campaigns will struggle to keep up.
“Accessibility really is the root cause. With just a smartphone, internet, and some money, anyone can gamble anytime, anywhere,” he said.
Zubiri is behind the Anti-Online Gambling Bill, which seeks a ban, but said the bank’s move offers short-term relief while legislation is pending.
He urged other agencies to adopt similar firm actions, warning that unchecked gambling will continue to fuel exploitation by illegal operators and syndicates.
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