Philippine well-known comedy duo MC Muah and Lassy Marquez recently admitted for the first time in a YouTube interview show "Toni Talks" hosted by Toni Gonzaga that they were deeply addicted to gambling in casinos, sparking attention and heated discussions among netizens.
MC Muah recalled that it all started when a friend invited him to a casino after a performance, "I just wanted to kill some time and relax," but he unexpectedly developed a gambling addiction. He said that at first, he only made small bets and didn't take it seriously, but soon his gambling stakes increased significantly, once even gambling 800,000 pesos, eventually losing more than 10 million pesos in total.
Lassy mentioned that he decided to try his luck because he saw his partner frequently visiting casinos and felt "left out." Unexpectedly, he won the first time he gambled, hitting the typical "beginner's luck," and from then on, he fell deep into the mire of gambling. He admitted, "I told myself I could control it, but in fact, it was controlling me." Both recalled that during that period, they were almost sleepless and restless, squeezing in visits to the casino even amidst busy work schedules, completely disrupting their life rhythms.
This period of gambling addiction lasted from 2011 to 2016, and both realized that they had reached the edge of losing control. Fortunately, after years of losses and physical and mental exhaustion, they finally decided to quit gambling and completely leave the casino scene. Now, they have shifted their focus back to performing and personal development, concentrating on savings and financial management, and pursuing a stable and healthy lifestyle.
This interview not only shows another side of comedians but also brings public attention back to the real issue of gambling addiction. They warn the audience that gambling, while seemingly a light entertainment, is highly addictive and can bring significant financial, psychological, and interpersonal costs. "We hope people don't follow our old path," they said, "Entertainment should be just that, but there must be a limit."
This experience also serves as a societal alarm: even public figures are not immune to the temptations of gambling, and controlling desires and rational judgment is a challenge everyone must face.
