SEN. Erwin Tulfo yesterday said the Senate’s fight against online gambling is not over since e-gaming companies have shifted to other applications as digital channels to lure more Filipinos to gamble.
Tulfo, chairperson of the Committee on Games and Amusement, said online gambling firms are now using other mobile applications such as Viber, Telegram, and Lazada, among others, where they offer their services.
He said one such example is a digital gaming company which issued an advisory to its patrons that they will continue to “bring you the fun through our app, website, and Viber, while still allowing easy deposits and withdrawals via GCash and Maya.”
It added that the accounts of their players will stay “100% active and ready to play.”
E-wallets GCash and PayMaya have unlinked from all e-gaming apps in compliance with a Bangko Sentral Pilipinas (BSP) directive for them to remove their icons and links on online gambling sites.
The BSP order came amid calls from lawmakers for the strict regulation or total ban of e-gaming in the country due to the industry’s social ills, such as digital gambling addiction and over indebtedness.
Tulfo said the same e-gaming firm is also offering vouchers, which can be used as credit points, from online selling platform Lazada.
Like other items being sold on Lazada, the vouchers can be purchased using e-wallets and debit and credit cards.
“The fight against the accessibility of gambling to the public is far from over and we will do our best to work with the private sector and other stakeholders to come up with a holistic approach in addressing this problem,” Tulfo said in a statement.
“We are not enemies here. We are allies that should work hand in hand to ensure that the next generation of Filipinos are not gambling addicts,” he added.
Tulfo also thanked e-wallet companies for their cooperation.
“We laud the move of e-wallet firms to delink these online gambling from their platforms. This is a sign that the business sector is willing to work in addressing the problem of online gambling addiction in our country,” he said.
