Amid tighter government crackdowns on online gambling and its delinking from e-wallet services, operators are now migrating to encrypted messaging apps and e-commerce platforms, Senator Erwin Tulfo warned yesterday.
“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,” said Tulfo, who chairs the Senate committee on games and amusement.
He noted that while e-wallet companies complied with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ 48-hour deadline to cut gambling links from their apps, gambling operators are already “doubling efforts” to shift to Viber, Telegram, Lazada, and other mobile applications.
Tulfo cited BingoPlus as an example, which directly told its patrons that their games remain available on encrypted messaging.
“Starting August 16, BingoPlus will bring you the fun through our app, website, and Viber, while still allowing easy deposits and withdrawals via GCash and Maya. Your account stays 100% active and ready to play!” read the advisory.
Operators are also exploiting e-commerce routes, Tulfo added, with BingoPlus vouchers being sold on Lazada as ordinary products. These vouchers can be purchased using e-wallets, debit, or credit cards, and later converted into gambling credits.
“We laud the move of the e-wallet firms to delink these online gambling sites from their platforms. This is a sign that the business sector is willing to work with the government in addressing the problem of online gambling addiction in our country,” Tulfo said.
“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 stressed.
The Senate committee on games and amusement is currently holding hearings on online gambling, with the majority of senators expressing opposition to its operations, whether legal or illegal.