Despite expectations that the Philippine president would potentially address the calls to ban online gambling in the country, the issue was not raised during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday.
During his 70 minutes addressing the nation, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr focused on issues such as healthcare, infrastructure and security, while also encouraging outside foreign investment.
The top official also doubled down on efforts to stomp out corruption in its various forms, while pledging that the 2026 national budget must fully align with planned spending.
A key element that was absent from his speech, conducted almost primarily in Tagalog except for a few brief sentences in English, was a mention of the gaming industry.
This was of particular note, given how last year’s SONA was used to announce the full closure of all Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) – including those found to be operating legally.
Analysts were expecting that the president would on Monday address calls to completely shutter the online gaming industry, or to increase taxation and oversight of the sector.
The calls for a total ban have been met with resistance, with opponents arguing that such a move would only push punters to the illegal market, meaning the government would lose both oversight and tax revenue.
An increase in tax revenue has also been argued to be potentially harmful to the sector – which already has one of the highest tax rates in the world for the online sector. Critics say a further tax hike could cause legitimate operators to close, with their clients shifting to the black market.
The president had previously expressed interest in further reviewing the online gaming sector, however, and the absence of discussion in the SONA does not mean that the issue is completely off the table, particularly as influential politicians are working to maintain the issue in the public spotlight.
