Philippines Wants to Go After Influencers Promoting Illegal Gambling

The Philippines wants to address the ongoing problem with illegal gambling, with the country now taking a look at the role influencers play in promoting unlicensed services to local players. According to the Philippines’ Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), there is a lot of this going on.

The Philippines Goes after Influencers Who Promote Gambling

This is why the CICC is now stepping up its efforts to limit influencers’ reach and also hold them accountable for promoting prohibited gambling products.

This is a multi-agency effort, which will also involve Digital Pinoys, an advocacy group. CICC and Digital Pinoys will remit information about influencers to the Philippine National Police–Anti-Cybercrime Group, which will then open a formal investigation into suspects, and potentially bring a case against them.

The CICC released a statement in which it outlined its plans: “The latest endorsements affirm the government’s commitment to hold accountable not just illegal operators, but also individuals and entities who knowingly promote or enable these schemes online. Endorsement of these cases by the CICC signifies that evidence has been collected against the promoters, and that their case-buildup affirms that sufficient grounds exist for prosecution.”

Formal Investigation Needed Before Action Can Be Taken

Influencer marketing is one of the best-represented channels for reaching customers for many online casinos. Despite the dubious legality surrounding the practice, many online personalities opt for this type of promotionional activity as there are strong financial incentives to convert traffic into paying customers for iGaming platforms.

CICC is currently collating information about influencers who are suspected of facilitating online gambling and is working with Digital Pinoys to ensure that these individuals are further investigated by the relevant authority and held accountable for their actions, which the partners believe are in breach of the Philippines’ gambling laws.