Recently, the Philippine socio-cultural research company "Fourth Wall" released a survey targeting national online gambling users. The results show that among the more than a thousand players surveyed, the majority prefer to choose regulated, legal platforms to avoid scams and legal risks.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, online gambling behavior in the Philippines grew rapidly. Despite occasional calls from the government to ban it, 53% of players explicitly oppose a total ban on legal gambling sites, with only 18% in favor of the ban. Moreover, 75% of respondents believe that the ban could backfire, potentially driving players to illegal and overseas platforms, thereby increasing issues of scams, loans, and addiction.
The survey covered major cities such as Manila, Cebu, and Davao. The study's lead, John Brylle L. Bae, pointed out that most players have reached a consensus: rather than prohibition, it is better to strengthen regulation, protect consumer rights through clear systems, and curb the spread of the black market.
The data also revealed the financial portrait of the player group: 36% of players are categorized as "optimistic break-even type", but there are also 12% classified as "high-risk borrowers", showing that some users are under significant financial pressure.
In terms of payment tool preferences, GCash overwhelmingly dominates (92%), followed by Maya, which only accounts for 6%. Additionally, 73% of respondents recognize the importance of regulatory bodies like PAGCOR, but still, 34% are unclear about their responsibilities, reflecting that the dissemination of regulatory information still needs to be improved.
The industry calls for the government to urgently build a more effective regulatory framework based on data and risk orientation, in the face of the continuous expansion of the online gambling market, to ensure player safety and reduce negative social impacts. Banning cannot solve all problems; rational governance is the key.
