Philippines Gambling Operators Say Ban Could Wipe Out 50,000 Jobs

Gambling industry representatives have warned the government and advised it to show restraint in the matter of banning online gambling completely.

The industry has skin in the game, but it similarly argues that the knock-on economic impact would be significant, as reported by the Philippine Star, a local media outlet. As many as 50,000 jobs could be destroyed as a direct result of an online casino ban.

Thousands of Jobs on the Line if Gambling Is Killed

What is worse, this would suppress innovation and kill high-skill jobs in IT and tech, the critics also caution. While no decision has been reached, the Catholic Church of the Philippines and lawmakers have voiced their disagreement with Internet gambling and argued that any perceived benefits are outweighed by the harm that the industry wreaks socially.

The industry, much like some more pragmatic lawmakers, has said that the issue that needs addressing is the offshore gambling operators that continue to target the Philippines. Rather than going after the licensed entities, argue licensed companies, the government should tighten its supervision of offshore gambling operators and act more definitively against them.

“Legal operators in the Philippines are already aligned with global best practices. They implement robust KYC, age verification, self-exclusion tools, and real-time monitoring. You ban those, and what you get is a black-market surge,” said Arden Consult CEO Tonet Quiogue, who is among the people to advocate for a more restrained, pragmatic, and realistic approach to regulating gambling in the Philippines.

Quiogue has similarly cautioned that blocking regulated gambling websites would not address the problems that skeptics are trying to resolve. Rather, it will funnel people into the illegal gambling market where safeguards are poor, and the impact of gambling – nearly impossible to track.

Another recent survey has said that the majority of Filipinos do indeed care for safe, regulated, and reliable gambling sites. Very few – about 18% – backed an outright ban, as the public similarly acknowledges that this is a dated and probably inefficient way to regulate gambling in the first place.

Tighter Controls Need to Also Make the Local Market More Attractive

The majority backs tighter control over gambling, with stricter rules about advertising, payments, and responsible gambling commitments. However, even this will fail to address the offshore gambling market, which relies on making its offer more attractive than that of the regulated market.

While politically delicate, the debate around offshore and regulated gambling ought to focus on the core issue – offshore operators are simply making their offers more attractive for certain types of players, which is the specific issue that needs to be addressed for the Philippines to resolve its gambling-related issues.