Philippine Senator Alan Peter Cayetano is pushing for e-wallet providers to prevent their platforms from facilitating transactions linked to online gambling.
The Senator had previously filed the ‘Ban on Online Gambling Act’ alongside his sister and fellow Senator, Pia Cayetano.
The official also Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri’s ‘Anti-Online Gambling Act of 2025’- which seeks to ban online gambling in all forms, including the use of e-wallets and credit cards for gambling transactions.
On Tuesday, Senator Cayetano urged the e-wallet platforms: “don’t wait for the guidelines – take action yourselves. After all, most of you are making huge profits”.
The call is just the latest in a series of bills and comments by Philippine lawmakers aimed at eliminating the legal online gaming sector.
The proposals for outright bans on the legal online sector have been met with criticism by experts, noting that the move would likely drive consumers to the black market, while simultaneously depriving the government of tax revenue from the segment.
The Philippine President gave a potentially positive indication against an outright ban recently, indicating that he was in favor of increasing taxation rates and regulatory oversight.
The e-gaming sector contributed over half of the Philippines’ GGR in the first quarter of this year.
