More than 50,000 jobs could be lost if pending proposals to ban legal online gambling in the Philippines are passed, according to industry data released this month and reported by local media outlet Philstar.
The legal online gaming sector contributed over PHP112 billion ($1.94 billion) to government funds in 2024 while employing tens of thousands of Filipinos nationwide. Licensed platforms remitted PHP16.6 billion ($287 million) to PhilHealth for universal healthcare and PHP46.32 billion ($802 million) as dividends to the national treasury.
Despite these substantial contributions, some legislators are pushing for a total ban on legal online gaming operations. Industry stakeholders argue for stricter enforcement against illegal operators rather than outright prohibition of regulated platforms.
The sector also supported PHP12.37 billion ($214 million) in socio-civic programs through the Office of the President and over PHP5.9 billion ($102 million) in taxes to the Bureau of Internal Revenue. Gaming accounts for just 0.79 percent of total household consumption in the country, representing PHP160 billion ($2.77 billion) out of PHP20.1 trillion ($348 billion), yet its economic contributions are disproportionately high.
Legal expert Tonet Quiogue, CEO of Arden Consult, warns that banning regulated platforms could backfire by pushing gambling activity underground, where players lose protections and the government loses visibility and revenue. Global examples support this concern, with countries like Colombia and Argentina seeing illegal gambling drop from over 80 percent to as low as 15 percent after implementing regulatory frameworks.
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) earned PHP25.52 billion ($442 million) from gaming in the first quarter of 2025 alone, with E-Games and E-Bingo accounting for more than half of this revenue. Since stricter regulations were introduced in 2022, license fees have quadrupled from PHP12.3 billion ($213 million) to over PHP54 billion ($935 million) in 2024.
With the national debt at PHP16.4 trillion ($284 billion) and tax collections under pressure, industry observers say the government cannot afford to abandon regulated revenue streams that also provide significant employment opportunities across IT, customer service, compliance, and marketing sectors.
