Opening Statement of Senator Pia S. Cayetano Hearing on Online Gambling

Opening Statement of Senator Pia S. Cayetano
Hearing on Online Gambling

Good morning everyone. Today's hearing is important because it gives us a general overview on online gambling. Do we ban or do we regulate? This is the question before us. We have bills to outrightly ban and bills to regulate.

What facts do we have on hand? Just four days ago, it was reported that a 22-year-old in Benguet committed suicide over online gambling debts. This is not an isolated case. There are other reported cases of individuals who have taken their lives because they were buried in debt. And there are also reports that online gambling is linked to money laundering, cybercrimes, and other illicit activities. There are also numerous reports of families being affected by online gambling. There are rising cases of gambling addiction and mental health issues, particularly among the youth and vulnerable population. In 2023, a nationwide survey revealed that 66% of Filipinos aged 18 to 24 engaged in online gambling with frequent betting behavior leading to academic neglect, financial distress, and psychological strain.

Tanong ko po sa lahat ng gagawa ng desisyon, sa lahat ng magsasalita, yung problema bang ganoon na 66% of Filipinos aged 18 to 24 engaged in online gambling, did it exist 5 years ago? Did it exist 10 years ago? Meron bang ganoon 10 years ago na addicted itong mga batang ito, 18 years old, imbis na nag-aaral, imbis na nagsu-sports, imbis na nagde-develop ng social skills, online gambling ang inaatupag?

The DOF position is not to ban online gambling, but to impose stricter measures and impose higher tax rates on online gambling. Well, madali naman intindihin yan kasi kung trabaho mo, palakihin ang income ng gobyerno, yan ang focus mo.

So may data tayo to show that in 2020, ang gross gaming revenue was P12.91B, in 2021 P16B, in 2022 P30B, halos dumoble. In 2023 halos dumoble ulit P58B, and in 2024, halos triple... mga P154B. So from P58B to P154B in 2024. And kalahati pa lang ng 2025, P114B na. So kung wala tayong gagawin siguro aabot na talaga ito ng P200B.

So yan ang income na nakukuha natin sa gambling. Is it worth it? Yan ho ang tanong natin. The position of those who are pro-gambling, just like government, is "let's regulate". I-regulate lang natin yan, kayang kaya natin yan. They argue that the gambling business will just go underground. But do we even consider that with technology, ni hindi nga ma-regulate ng maayos, we cannot even keep up. So anong ire-regulate natin? Hindi naman tayo mabilis mag-regulate, hindi naman tayo mabilis sa technology. In fact, research from a Filipino socio-cultural firm revealed that nung na-ban ang E-Sabong, nawala. Pero kahit paano may illegal platforms, pero nabawasan pa rin. Nabawasan pa rin. And if we want to be, if we have the political will, ang US na-ban niya ang TikTok, bumalik lang dahil bumalik din si Trump. Ang daming opportunity na mag-ban kung gugustuhin.

How many young people will lose their way? How many families do we sacrifice? How many lives are worth the extra revenue to the government? It is my hope that during this hearing, all relevant facts will be revealed, including the cost to every family who loses a breadwinner. Every family who does not have food to eat because nagastos na sa sugal, sa online gambling na napakadali. Every family who won't watch a child graduate dahil this child has lost their way because of gambling addiction. What is the cost to society?

My final point: In as much as my bill is on a ban on online gambling, I'll be listening intently to all the resource persons. As Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, it is my hope that there will not be a need for me to call a hearing on taxation of online gambling operations because we will be banning outright. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

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