Philippine Bureau of Internal Revenue warns gambling ban could undermine PHP3.2 trillion revenue target

Sam Bentham

5 August 2025 at 7:36am UTC-4

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The Philippines’ Bureau of Internal Revenue has warned that banning online gambling could severely impact the country’s ability to meet its PHP3.2 trillion (US$55.6 billion)1 PHP = 0.0174 USD
2025-08-05Powered by CMG CurrenShift revenue target for 2025.

Bureau Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. spoke at an anti-illicit trade event and said that while the Bureau hit its first-half goal, meeting the full-year target remains a challenge, particularly if regulators go ahead with a proposed online gambling ban.

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Lumagui told reporters, “In case online gaming [or gambling] gets banned, there should be an adjustment [in revenue targets]. If there’s no adjustment in the targets, and you will ban all of these, the target will definitely not be achieved.”

Online gambling has become a significant source of tax revenue, and Lumagui noted the policy decision ultimately lies with lawmakers. However, he also urged policymakers to consider the fiscal consequences of such a ban.

Despite this, the Bureau is hoping that new measures, including a new law taxing foreign digital service providers and a crackdown on the illicit tobacco trade, could offset any lost revenue.

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The Bureau collected PHP1.55 trillion (US$27.0 billion)1 PHP = 0.0174 USD
2025-08-05Powered by CMG CurrenShift in the first half of 2025, representing a 14.1% increase from last year. This increase was driven largely by stronger collections from corporate and personal income taxes, VAT, and excise taxes.

However, Lumagui said the second half would be challenging due to limited manpower and a revenue goal that remains high relative to GDP.