People complains on illegal Gambling sites in the Philippines

[aioc]

Pagcor one of the Philippines Government issued a warning to all users to avoid clicking on social medias post on Facebook and Tiktok about illegal gambling sites.

Warnings alone will not suffice; illegal number operators know how many people like to gamble online, so whenever they take down one, they can launch another because they have influencers to back them up.
If they are serious about their campaign, they should impose fines and jail influencers who promote these illegal casinos, and also start tracing the operators of these illegal gambling; they have to be aggressive in their action.

[Odohu]

The whole idea of illegal casino is just  absence of registration with their local regulatory authorities. Some of the casinos there are not scam sites although some are. I understand that getting local license add some extra assurance of protection to the gamblers but it does not mean that some international casinos that do not get local registration are not legit. Everything boils down to the person being able to do proper due diligence in chosing reputable casino to play in. I

[Oluwa-btc]

In the Philippines some of the users are technically young or called Gen-Z becoming addicted to easy money betting site. How I wish they knee this forum so they would be safe from scammers posting sites and probably fake gambling sites which exploit the youngs on their modus.

Well the issue of illegal gambling sites is becoming something else, I think it's basically not centered around the Philippines country, most countries that are not restricted from gambling are facing the same challenges of constant opening of gambling sites, some that tends to be illegal to scam users and some that tends to bypass government rules and regulatory policies to get on with the process.

[Alphakilo]

In the Philippines some of the users are technically young or called Gen-Z becoming addicted to easy money betting site. How I wish they knee this forum so they would be safe from scammers posting sites and probably fake gambling sites which exploit the youngs on their modus.

Well the issue of illegal gambling sites is becoming something else, I think it's basically not centered around the Philippines country, most countries that are not restricted from gambling are facing the same challenges of constant opening of gambling sites, some that tends to be illegal to scam users and some that tends to bypass government rules and regulatory policies to get on with the process.

Any casino platform not legally operating is a scam, mostly those online that require cryptocurrency to bet with.
The lure of getting rich quick scheme shouldn't be something advertised on TV and social media if this has to stop because these young ones believe what they see from others posing with flashy cars and beautiful houses that gambling helped them afford.
The reality is that it is all make believe and a marketing gimmick that aims at the ignorant and desperate folks.

[xLays]

I just want to share this since gambling in the Philippines is being discussed here. I’m not sure if it’s the same in your area, but many internet cafes or pesonet shops now are no longer used for online games. Most people there are playing online casino games instead.
And take note, from what I’ve seen with the sites or domains they use, they are completely random. It’s the kind of website that you never really see being advertised anywhere.
If these sites ever get taken down, the only ones who will benefit are the legitimate online casinos. But at the same time, the people who used to gamble there might actually benefit too, since they will no longer be playing on scam or illegal gambling sites.

[Slow death]

Every time I read threads like these, I wonder if the authors have any idea what exactly "legal casino" and "illegal casino" mean? To explain, in case you don't know, for the Philippine government, any legal casino is one that has a license issued by the Philippine government. This means that crypto casinos that don't have a license issued by the Philippine government will be considered illegal by the Philippine government.

In practice, this means that for the Philippine government, more than 99% of the casinos in this forum shouldn't be used by Filipinos because they are unlicensed casinos, even if they are honest, reputable casinos that have been operating for many years. So, at the end of the day, having a license is never proof that a casino isn't a scam or not.

[IjawMan]

Pagcor one of the Philippines Government issued a warning to all users to avoid clicking on social medias post on Facebook and Tiktok about illegal gambling sites.

Warnings alone will not suffice; illegal number operators know how many people like to gamble online, so whenever they take down one, they can launch another because they have influencers to back them up.
If they are serious about their campaign, they should impose fines and jail influencers who promote these illegal casinos, and also start tracing the operators of these illegal gambling; they have to be aggressive in their action.

Jail term and humongous fine will serve to be a deterrent for the operators and specially for the influencers that serve as peomoters to the illegal scam gambling site.

Influencers are a major obstacle to the elimination of dark casinos online who operates without license from the authority to regulate and protect consumers from exploitations and scam.

Once a few of the influencers has been made an example with the rest will learn. The government will have to not stop at just issuing a warning.

[r_victory]

The problem is knowing how to recognize a fake betting site. Often, the license doesn't mean much, since it might be listed on the site but not actually exist. Many people are content with just seeing text saying it's licensed by the organization "XYZ," with registration number "123," and don't even check this information with the licensor. I agree with Don Pedro Dinero when he says that the authorities should go after those who promote such sites. I just think people don't complain about not winning but because, on a fake site, it's possible they deposit money and then never have access to it again.

[Odogwu-Blockchain]

Influencers are a major obstacle to the elimination of dark casinos online who operates without license from the authority to regulate and protect consumers from exploitations and scam.

Once a few of the influencers has been made an example with the rest will learn. The government will have to not stop at just issuing a warning.

It's impossible to stop influencers from promoting illegal gambling company, they are all there for their business and profit at the end, moreso, influencers charges less because they never know how negotiation truly works and know how to detect companies that isn't registered also, they accept whatever that comes there way for business than actually finding out the effects of those gambling companies on their fans. It hurts.

[el kaka22]

This isn't that much of a new thing that is starting to happen these days, it's been a thing for nearly 30 years now. Online gambling is a huge risk and there are many scam websites, in fact some even have codes that came out after a hack that they were literally coding the game to make sure they won, after giving a few first wins to get the rush going, like make you think it is going to be good, then take it all.

So it is not a new thing, been going on for decades and unfortunately it is not going to end neither. Just gamble at places that are known for many  years and have been accepted to official sponsorships. Like if you see a casino be able to accepted in premier league for jersey sponsor, and they have been around for 10 years, you know if it's legit or not.

[cryptoaddictchie]

If these sites ever get taken down, the only ones who will benefit are the legitimate online casinos. But at the same time, the people who used to gamble there might actually benefit too, since they will no longer be playing on scam or illegal gambling sites.

I think its time for Filipinos to learn online gambling using crypto sites if they are into gambling cause here anonymity is being practice and surely there some reputations that can be trusted. For sure some prefer online gambling cause they dont have time to go to legal casinos in our country or maybe they can only do on their weekend or sometimes holiday time.

As a user who play in casino, I really love the experience but ofcourse its only sometime I could find time to go there. What can you say about the crackdown they did recently on some online casino? Im sure even legit one got affected ( trusted I mean)

[coin-investor]

.. What can you say about the crackdown they did recently on some online casino? Im sure even legit one got affected ( trusted I mean)

They should continue their crackdown on influencers; they are responsible for the emergence of these illegal casinos. The government should charge and jail these influencers; illegal casinos rely heavily on influencers. If you cut these people, you minimise promotions of illegal casinos.
Another one is educating people about these flight-by-night casinos, letting them know that once they have enough money, they will take down the platform and run away with their players' money.

[kotajikikox]

The gambling problem is getting worse. But I believe whoever is handling this might be going at it the wrong way. They are shutting down applications that have no actual connection with gambling and some those that are actual used by ganblers go unnoticed. They might even ban telegram next if they suspect gambling activities involved.

[Davidvictorson]

What do you think will the impact on this on some legits gambling site? Anyone experience an illegal site which users crypto for deposits in the Philippines?

I don’t think there would be any negative effects on legitimate and reputable gambling sites. I also don’t think that even the illegal gambling sites will see have effect. They will continue to thrive because if the government doesn’t have the will to ban them and ensure that they are not able to penetrate the public through social media, the young folks who want money will not stop seeking them out and falling victim. If they do not learn from the mistakes of others, they would learn from their own mistakes.

[CryptSafe]

There is a local board for the  Philippines here, and it will be nice if they encourage others to join the Bitcointalk platform, as it would be of great help to them all around. At least they could be able to note scam casinos from here, and if they encounter such outside the platform, they would not fall victim because they already have the knowledge of them all.

-snip-

I agree because IMO the Filipino local board is among the best here in Bitcointalk.

Although the Philippines are very far from me not only in geographical but also cultural sense, I know the situation with gambling there to some extent, thanks to my Filipino friends here in the forum, and to the news I've read on this subject, and while I consider myself quite liberal when it comes to gambling (mainly because of the culture around gambling where I live), I also believe that some limits must be set when bad actors go too far, like in some of the cases mentioned.

Of course, the Filipino board is a very active board on this platform, and I believe the ones present here are very much informed and in the know of activities that surround the crypto gambling space, so they can never fall victim to any scam. But if you can help as well to inform them or to bring more of them to this platform, that would be nice because it would help them a lot to stay alert and be wary of scams in the industry.

[rbynxx]

When Im browsing about the update on gambling news in the Philippines saw this post last week by ABS CBN news reported that there are lots of complain on more than 1800 gambling sites in the beginnjng of 2026. Pagcor one of the Philippines Government issued a warning to all users to avoid clicking on social medias post on Facebook and Tiktok about illegal gambling sites.

In the Philippines some of the users are technically young or called Gen-Z becoming addicted to easy money betting site. How I wish they knee this forum so they would be safe from scammers posting sites and probably fake gambling sites which exploit the youngs on their modus.

What do you think will the impact on this on some legits gambling site? Anyone experience an illegal site which users crypto for deposits in the Philippines?

Source:
https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/technology/2026/3/4/more-than-1-800-complaints-vs-online-gambling-sites-received-from-jan-march-cicc-1841

The reason? Most they saw on platforms like Meta (Facebook) are those ads related to gambling and the government did take notice and probably will ban those pages that promotes it. To be honest, it's on those individuals as well to blame as they let their urges to takeover them. I don't think it will have impact in the long run because the government and the people itself will surely be cooperative to take down these illegal gambling sites.

[tread93]

Are the illegal sites scamming users or just operating illegally? Really don't see much difference between this and casinos operating without a license. I don't really know how 1 affects the other but I am sure the legit casinos don't like the illegal poaching customers.

I feel like if they are operating just illegally like don't have permits and stuff thats not as big of a deal as the casino who is actively trying to scam people and are scum. The folks who are operationg illegaly at this level are most likely playing the "fake it til you make it" Card and that is an interesting place to be. When a business is formed and the intentions are good then business is good, but when the company is shit and the intentions are to scam others that should be the point you draw the line and say heck no!

[Julien_Olynpic]

Personally, I would distinguish between illegal casinos and those that are fraudulent. In my opinion, fraudulent sites aren't always illegal, and illegal casinos aren't always fraudulent. The situation in the Philippines is sad, but in my opinion, this usually happens in poor countries where people are desperate to make some money somewhere. Russia had a similar situation with underground casinos in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. In my opinion, this is simply growing pains. When the economy becomes healthier, the era of illegal casinos will also be a thing of the past.

[Smartprofit]

In my opinion, there's a big difference between fraudulent online casinos and unlicensed online casinos. 🙋

Fraud is a criminal activity aimed at stealing money from users (through deception). I am a staunch opponent of fraudulent activities. They are little different from criminal acts such as theft and robbery. These are crimes. Crimes should be fought by the police. 🕴️

As for unlicensed online casinos, these are casinos that have failed to comply with certain requirements of regulatory bodies. These requirements themselves are sometimes illogical and absurd. I distinguish between two types of relationships: the relationship between the casino and its customers, and the relationship between the casino and regulatory bodies.

It's important to me that an online casino fulfills its obligations to its customers. If an online casino hasn't been caught engaging in fraudulent activity, I'm willing to play at that casino (even if it's unlicensed).🎰

[davis196]

Pagcor one of the Philippines Government issued a warning to all users to avoid clicking on social medias post on Facebook and Tiktok about illegal gambling sites.

Wow, a government official from the Philippines told people to stop clicking on casino links posted on social media. I'm sure that everyone would follow his advice. The authorities must take legal actions and report the illegal gambling sites to their hosting providers, so that they can be taken down immediately. Those illegal gambling sites must also be reported to the Internet Service Providers, which are operating in the Philippines, so that they could block access to those websites(I know that the users can use VPN and proxies, but such measures should be taken). Just telling the people to not click on links won't work.