Philippines banning gambling ads?

[Odusko]

In mist countries around the world including my country, there is no clear regulation for the gambling market and this made some actions to look strange to most citizens, unless for countries like the United States where gambling regulation are nearly clearly stated, 🇵🇭 Philippine happens to be in the opposite, but as much as that is, we will have to look at the actual impact pf the ban.
If truly the ratio of gambling addictions in the Philippines have greatly increased and the presence of unregulated casinos who's impact can be felt in the life of the gamblers I mean the addicted gamblers a how fair players are treated, alot of things could influence such decisions to ban so we need to put those factors into consideration, before we can make our final judgement on what the new ban is on the citizens.

[Grace333]

No matter how addicted or bad you think the situation is currently, it can be worked on. They just need to be decisive with the relevant actions. The most important thing is that they are doing something about the well-being of their citizens.
I personally their actions are right and is still relevant because, there are still rising generation and if they don't limit the rate at which these young people are being exposed to gambling, they might grow up with a more addictive approach to gambling if these things are not put in place.

[Pikiboy]

You can also share what is happening in your country if you have a similar situation.

No such restriction around us or even through our neighborhood as gambling is another major point of survival for people around our country. In fact the rate at which people are beginning to start gambling is what surprises me as lot of them do spend much of their time on the gambling house, as the local agencies. Though, as we know anyone who much pays attention to particular thing usually gets addicted so while gambling it is also good to get yourself a bit distracted with other activities.

[Leahized]

So do you think this will actually pass or is it already too late?

You can also share what is happening in your country if you have a similar situation.

If these remedies are not done from the beginning, it will make it more difficult later. Because being in the middle means already running the risk of being too late. As gambling prosperity increases in a state, it is very difficult to control and implementation is uncertain. This problem exists in my state and there is no concrete plan from the government to prevent it. On the other hand, the presence of influential people behind a casino will create more complications.

As online gambling has become very popular these days. Therefore, there is no possibility of making any resistance against it. The number of gamblers is constantly increasing in my state. Even social media ads are being run through paid add. So people of any age can be attracted to gambling.

[Finebone]

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So do you think this will actually pass or is it already too late?

You can also share what is happening in your country if you have a similar situation.

The bill hasn't been passed yet, and it might be passed if they are really serious in implementing this, but am skeptical that it may change much because these addictive gambler or those already gambling will not stop gambling because of this action by the government, they will only stop if they are force to, by cutting off internet, so that no one can have access to an online casino through a VPN and by closing down all betting shops in the country, but I doubt that it will get to such an extent, because how long will they cut off the Internet that will greatly benefiting the nation and everyone in it,  so this may be the worst the government can do, which wouldn't stop gamblers like when the Internet is cut off.

[Sandra_hakeem]

They said it will help Filipinos against gambling addiction. The Bill as not yet been signed, but if it is sign, maybe it might reduce gambling exposure, but I do not think it will reduce gambling exposure in countries that people are gambling very well already. They can easily pass gambling information among themselves from friends to friends. But this might affect some gambling sites, especially the upcoming ones.

What sort of exposure does banning gambling ads prevent in a country like the Philippines that has already made it a culture to survive by every means of gambling? So like you said, I don't think it's going to do too much, but I can agree that at least the government have taken up the task to monitor the activities in the gambling industry that seemed to have been a problem to the their citizens. Now what next?

Whether they pass it or not, that's how far the government can go; they will never ban gambling because it's a big source of revenue, and the government also owns physical casinos and many online casinos through PAGCOR.

It is very funny that they want to ban gambling ads. If gambling is still a huge source of revenue for the government, you know what that means. Almost all the taxes are from the gambling sites and not gambers.

We can now agree that they started a fire, added more fuel and watch it burn out the smoke of profits into their pockets, then after a while, arrived with the solution to quench the same fire.

[ruykeri]

Something can never be late as long as someone is alive but it can only be late if they are dead and talking about prevention, they can not totally prevent people from gambling but they can reduce the rate of gambling because someone who is addicted to gambling will always find a way to gamble even though they are restricted from gambling but those who are not addicted can either decide to stop from there since it will take them time to access the casinos using VPN.

It is not possible for the government to completely stop anything online. No matter how restrictions are imposed, people will find a way out. And You are right  by using  VPN, restricted sites can be used very easily. Yes, it is true that if the popular sites of that country with ads are closed, then very few new people will get addicted to gambling. But if those who are already addicted do not stop betting on their own, then any restrictions by the government will not be impactful. If the government really wants to reduce gambling addiction and reduce the bad effects on society, the government should not only ban or restrict it, but also create awareness. As a result, people will move away on their own and when someone understands how much harm gambling addiction can cause, he will not want to bet aggressively again.

[SuperBitMan]

If they succeed in passing the Law, then it will really help reduce how people gamble over their however it will not stop people from gambling.
Many of them already know a lot of casinos and they will be sharing the information to others.
We have a lot of Philippine people in this forum and they see a lot of casinos through this forum and other forum, so it’s actually impossible to stop them from gambling.

I think there government, should also focus on providing jobs for there citizens, I mean very good and well paid jobs, I believe it will help more than this action they want to take.

[Doan9269]

Philippine is not the only country in this regard; other countries have also taken steps to ensure that the regulates the use of social media for advertising gambling. Just take a look at the recent one where it was tackled that players should stop advertising casinos on their branded jerseys on the pitch. Everything is just going in the direction of making gambling platforms less exposed, but one thing that has always given me confidence about gambling is that they can't stop it from us, because it is all about entertainment.

[crwth]

I think it's going to be a challenge for the government to really apply this because there are a lot of ways to skip or avoid this because they would have probably found a way already. This move is probably to lessen the amount of gambling addicts or potential ones that would be into gambling their life. It will just reduce exposure for sure.

This way, it will reduce possible existing users and would probably change their habit or something.

[GreatArkansas]

I think it's going to be a challenge for the government to really apply this because there are a lot of ways to skip or avoid this because they would have probably found a way already. This move is probably to lessen the amount of gambling addicts or potential ones that would be into gambling their life. It will just reduce exposure for sure.

This way, it will reduce possible existing users and would probably change their habit or something.

I agree; include also those people who are already addicted; advertisements are not needed for them anymore to stop or prevent them from gambling 
This bill is kinda not solving the problem at all; it's just slightly preventing it. They really need to solve the root; they need to be stricter, especially on underground gambling platforms, KYC, and not easily available to do gambling online.

[Nathrixxx]

Government will always have their reasons to why they are taking strick actions on gambling, even though they still know that they are regulating this sector by collecting the due tax from its operators, there is no justification to what they are doing, advertisements of gambling ads is in many forms and on different platforms, can they still go far into all this to regulate them all, oh they are just posting advanced threat on gamblers or the gambling platforms from being operational.

[m2017]

A Senate bill wants a nationwide ban on online gambling ads across all media platforms, so that probably means TV, social media and other online platforms.

What about offline advertising? Roadside billboards, for instance. Is there nothing prohibiting that?

So what's really happening in the Philippines now? They make the problem worse first before making this kind of measure. I wonder if it's just for show because it's not really preventing the problem, it's more like showing that they are doing their job to protect people even though the damage has already been done.

Wouldn't it be more effective to simply ban gambling instead of banning the advertising? Or do taxes from the industry and kickbacks stand in the way of doing that?

And to think this is still just a bill. If there are powerful people supporting big casino operators, then maybe it will not be that easy to pass.

This is a world where power is the power of money. Casino operators have no money problems.

So do you think this will actually pass or is it already too late?

How about we place some bets? What are the odds that the law will be passed?

You can also share what is happening in your country if you have a similar situation.

Let’s look at the example of tobacco and alcohol products, as the regulator displays the exact same duplicity regarding gambling. On one hand, there is constant messaging about the health risks of alcohol and tobacco; public service announcements highlight these dangers; sales to minors and late-night sales are banned; and cigarette packs feature graphic images showing the consequences of smoking. Yet, at the same time, sellers of these products pay taxes (meaning the regulator effectively profits from their sale) and manufacturers pay excise duties (which are essentially the same thing -  taxes). It turns out the regulator seems to be fighting this with one hand while profiting from it with the other. Does the left hand not know what the right is doing? It is exactly the same with gambling. What is this, if not hypocrisy and a performative fight against something you profit from?

[coin-investor]

Whether they pass it or not, that's how far the government can go; they will never ban gambling because it's a big source of revenue, and the government also owns physical casinos and many online casinos through PAGCOR.

You are probably a Filipino. I wanted to dispute this before, until I found out that you are correct. PAGCOR (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation) is owned and 100% controlled by the Philippine government.

It is very funny that they want to ban gambling ads. If gambling is still a huge source of revenue for the government, you know what that means. Almost all the taxes are from the gambling sites and not gambers.

It's an epidemic here; there was a time when crimes were so rampant that people were stealing just to gamble. This was the time of online cockfighting; the government was making millions on taxes until the government could no longer bear the noise and calls to stop it and had to stop online cockfighting, but other forms of gambling still exist.

The government had no choice but to calm civil society by banning ads and influencers from promoting gambling so it could keep money flowing into the government coffers.
 
Lawmaker calls for stop to online gambling 'epidemic'

[Tetu100]

If these remedies are not done from the beginning, it will make it more difficult later. Because being in the middle means already running the risk of being too late. As gambling prosperity increases in a state, it is very difficult to control and implementation is uncertain. This problem exists in my state and there is no concrete plan from the government to prevent it. On the other hand, the presence of influential people behind a casino will create more complications.

As online gambling has become very popular these days. Therefore, there is no possibility of making any resistance against it. The number of gamblers is constantly increasing in my state. Even social media ads are being run through paid add. So people of any age can be attracted to gambling.

The thing is that, this is not the first time we're hearing stories like this and yet players still make there way in it . It is a normal thing that the government will always show that they actually working for things to get better but the raw fact is that the situation will still remains the same or something become worster than before.

For the fact that gamble involved money and as a result many young people has wrongfully seen it as a way of making quick money, and at the other part the addicted once are still struggling to regain back their lost funds. I can hardly find confidence in this recent development because it may still not bring the final solution to the problem.

[YOSHIE]

So what's really happening in the Philippines now?

There is currently a lot of news about discussions and regulations being carried out by the Philippine government to push for a bill to ban total gambling nationally, even though it appears that the Philippines has done this, such as city governments such as Pasig, I see a situation where the ban on gambling advertising is not fully implemented.

I think everything that is happening to gambling advertising in the Philippines is almost the same as the ban on gambling advertising in Indonesia, where gambling advertising is prohibited but online casinos are still free to operate and still are.

Not sure what the Philippine government has done with gambling advertisements, whether they are successful or not, the point is that many regions or countries have banned such advertisements, but the fact is that casinos can still operate at a maximum of.

[PostQuantumBTC]

I think everything that is happening to gambling advertising in the Philippines is almost the same as the ban on gambling advertising in Indonesia, where gambling advertising is prohibited but online casinos are still free to operate and still are.

Are you from Indonesia? This is because I noticed Indonesia was discussed about recently on the gambling board of the forum.

87% of Indonesians are Muslims.

I expected gambling to be banned in the country and according to what I have known about this before was that gambling is banned in the country, both offline and online gambling.

[Gozie51]

You can also share what is happening in your country if you have a similar situation.

What is happening in Philippines is quit different from what I know about my country. I think I have contributed to a thread like this lately.

If the government of Philippines want gambling addiction to reduce then they should provide jobs for their people. IMO, there is relationship between gambling and unemployment. Most people that gamble don't go into it as a way of relieving stress or for fun, no. They gamble with the believe to make additional money or resources but that is erroneous way of thinking. They feel they can make profit in gambling and gradually they start chasing back losses and that is how addiction starts. So amongst other reasons people gamble, unemployment is a strong influence. At least, some gamblers I know who engage in it from time to time, they affirm that if they were earning some reasonable amount of money then they won't have to look in the area of gambling for additional money because they know that overall, they are losing.

The tax law in my country is still liberal and no restrictions on gambling ads. People gamble by choice even with the gambling ads.

It is simple therefore. No need chasing shadow by trying to stop gambling ads through senate legislation. If the youth in the Philippines have better jobs to do, it will help to reduce the addiction that government is trying to stop.

[Synchronice]

A Senate bill wants a nationwide ban on online gambling ads across all media platforms, so that probably means TV, social media and other online platforms.

So what's really happening in the Philippines now? They make the problem worse first before making this kind of measure. I wonder if it's just for show because it's not really preventing the problem, it's more like showing that they are doing their job to protect people even though the damage has already been done.

And to think this is still just a bill. If there are powerful people supporting big casino operators, then maybe it will not be that easy to pass.

So do you think this will actually pass or is it already too late?

When there is a gambling addiction, financial problems and youth exposure to casinos and it becomes a massive problem in the country, it becomes politically difficult to ignore it. When such problems exist, people blame casinos instead of their own family members for their own mistakes, sadly, that's how the mind works for 99% of people. The easy way for politicians, in order to not lose votes, is to do something that will calm people down and banning gambling ads is one of them but those, who really use their brain and follow logic, know that banning gambling ads is not gonna fix anything and actually, it's only gonna cut the revenue for TV and local online platforms.

Whether it will actually pass or not is hard for me to say since I'm not a Filipino but I think it will be banned.

[Kelward]

Banning gambling adds without outright ban in the Philippines can only reduce the number of new gamblers but for those that are already into gambling they don't need any forms of advertisements to access the gambling sites where they play their games. People that are serious to gamble only needs to ask those that are into gambling to put them through and the number of gamblers would continue to increase although not as it should if gambling adverts are everywhere. If gambling addiction is a big problem in that country which I believe it is what the government should focus on is advocating for responsible gambling because if you stop the adverts alone what about those that are already addicted and those that registers without seeing any adverts. The government should go beyond baning and focus on ways to reduce addiction.