ONLINE GAMBLING

MANILA, Philippines – In a move to comply with a directive from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the Philippines’ two largest e-wallet platforms, GCash and Maya, will suspend access to online gaming through their apps starting at 8 p.m. on Saturday, August 16.

The BSP’s directive, issued on Thursday, orders e-wallets, banks, and other supervised entities to remove in-app features that promote or allow access to e-gambling sites. The order was announced by BSP Deputy Governor Mamerto Tangonan during a Senate committee hearing on games and amusement.

GCash, owned by Globe Telecom, announced on Thursday evening that it would fully comply with the order. The company stated that users can withdraw funds from their gaming accounts back to their GCash wallets via GLife until the suspension takes effect. After the deadline, users with remaining funds will only be able to access them directly through the gaming merchant’s website. GCash expressed its support for “adopting stronger safeguards on online gaming” and its commitment to protecting the financial health of Filipinos.

In a separate advisory, Maya, formerly PayMaya, also confirmed it would disable access to gaming sites and apps through its Games feature at the same time. Similar to GCash, Maya customers can withdraw remaining funds from linked gaming accounts to their Maya Wallet via the Games feature before the deadline. After the suspension, withdrawals can only be made through the gaming provider’s website or app. Maya stated it would continue to work with regulators and industry partners to uphold consumer protection and ensure full compliance with all regulations.

The 48-hour grace period provided by the BSP was questioned by some senators, who pressed for immediate removal of the links. Tangonan explained the grace period was necessary to allow the e-wallets to remove the links and give users time to withdraw their funds. Senator Erwin Tulfo, the committee chair, warned he would hold the BSP in contempt if the links were not removed by Saturday.

The suspension will remain in effect until the BSP finalizes a new policy on online gambling payment services. The central bank is currently crafting tighter regulations aimed at curbing gambling addiction, which may include enhanced identity verification, daily transaction limits, time-based restrictions, and tools for users to set spending caps.

Separately, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) has ordered the removal of all outdoor advertisements for online gaming platforms. Pagcor’s report shows that the country’s gaming industry generated P214.75 billion in gross gaming revenues in the first half of 2025, with the electronic games sector accounting for more than half of that figure. Several senators have called for a total ban on online gambling, citing concerns about addiction and other negative social effects.