Cebu lawmaker files bill to ban online gambling ads

Local

CEBU 3rd District Rep. Karen Hope Garcia has filed a bill seeking to ban advertisements, promotions, endorsements, and sponsorships for online gambling, citing the industry’s growing reach into Filipino homes through smartphones.

House Bill 10982, or the “Online Gambling Advertising Prohibition Act of 2026,” would make online gambling marketing unlawful across television, radio, print, billboards, social media, websites, mobile apps, search and targeted ads.

“Nobody asked for a casino on their phone, open twenty-four hours a day. (But) every smartphone is now a potential 24-hour casino,” Garcia said.

The proposed ban would also cover influencer and affiliate marketing, email and SMS promotions, and sponsorships of sports, concerts, and other events.

Public-figure endorsements, bonuses, free bets, and referral codes designed to attract players would likewise be prohibited.

Garcia also wants to prohibit cross-promotion, including advertisements for land-based gambling brands that share a name with an online gambling platform.

Under the bill, violators could face fines of ₱500,000 to ₱10 million, license suspension or revocation, and up to three years in prison for willful violations.

Public figures who endorse online gambling would likewise be penalized through forfeiture of payments, and a three- to five-year ban on future endorsements.

Platforms, media companies, ad-tech firms, and internet service providers that fail to comply could be fined ₱50,000 per day and face possible license revocation.

Garcia also wants to tighten age and identity verification requirements for online gambling accounts, saying it’s the constitutional duty of the country to protect young people and safeguard public health.

The legislator, on the other hand, clatified the measure would not ban licensed gambling itself.

Instead, it targets what she described as the marketing infrastructure that draws people, particularly young and financially vulnerable individuals, into online gambling.

“(This) bill tells the industry it can't chase our children and our vulnerable families into their own homes to sell them on it,” Garcia said.

Advertising for other forms of gambling, including licensed casinos, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office lotteries, horse racing, and licensed cockfighting, would remain allowed but would be subject to responsible gaming advisories, content standards, and other restrictions. News reporting, academic discussions, and government communications would be exempt.

Garcia cited a 2024 World Health Organization (WHO) fact sheet describing gambling disorder as a health-harming, addictive behavior fueled by the industry’s commercialization and digitization.

She said the WHO considers restrictions on gambling advertising, promotion, and sponsorship a necessary first step in reducing harm.

Garcia also pointed to Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. data showing that regulated online gaming revenue reached ₱201.12 billion in 2025, surpassing land-based casinos for the first time and accounting for more than half of PAGCOR’s ₱396.14-billion total revenue.(RBE)