Philippine senator calls for stricter enforcement of e-wallet directive
Philippine Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has called for the government to go further in restricting public access to gambling sites by disconnecting e-wallets from them.
Despite major payments providers like GCash and Maya delinking from gambling sites over the past week, it has become apparent that operators have quickly switched to using alternative apps.
Addressing the issue on Monday, Gatchalian said, “While GCash and Maya have pledged to comply with the BSP directive to unlink from online gambling sites, I urge PAGCOR and the BSP to ensure that these sites are fully and permanently disconnected from all e-wallet services. The government and the public must remain vigilant as many non-accredited online gambling providers still exist, and they can find workarounds to existing regulations.”
Gatchalian’s comments followed a directive from the Philippines Central Bank, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, on 14 August ordering all e-wallets to delink from online gambling platforms within 48 hours.
When GCash and Maya complied with the directive, operators moved to alternative platforms such as e-commerce and messaging apps.
Gatchalian said, “I am deeply concerned by reports that online gambling has infiltrated some of the most widely used digital platforms, including messaging apps and e-commerce sites such as Viber, Telegram, and Lazada. This is a malicious and predatory practice that we should not tolerate.”
The senator called on Philippine gambling regulator PAGCOR, the Department of Trade and Industry, and the Department of Information and Communications Technology to enforce the delinking of gambling platforms from these alternative platforms.
Gatchalian also argued that more government action is needed to stop gambling operators from exploiting apps that are intended to be convenient for Filipinos, citing the rise in gambling addiction among the youth as a concern.
Earlier this week, Senator Erwin Tulfo, commended e-wallet platforms like Maya and GCash for their part in delinking operators but also stressed that the fight was “far from over.”
Tulfo proposed that gambling payments should be limited to bank transactions, in the hope of discouraging low-income families from betting, as well as stopping more vulnerable people, like students, from falling into debt.
Meanwhile, in late July, Philippine operator DigiPlus Interactive Corporation announced it had joined forces with 17 other PAGCOR-accredited operators and a law firm to launch the PlaySafe Alliance of the Philippines.
The group aims to elevate standards in regulated online gambling based on four pillars: responsible gaming, regulatory integrity, player protection, and the fight against illegal gambling.
“This alliance is not about competition – it’s about collaboration,” DigiPlus Chairman Eusebio Tanco said at the time. “By working as one, we can ensure that online gambling in the Philippines becomes more secure, transparent, and beneficial to both players and the nation.”
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Charlotte Capewell brings her passion for storytelling and expertise in writing, researching, and the gambling industry to every article she writes. Her specialties include the US gambling industry, regulator legislation, igaming, and more.
