MANILA – Senate Committee on Games and Amusement Chairperson Senator Erwin Tulfo has urged the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), Ad Standards Council (ASC), and the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) to immediately review advertisements related to online gambling.

At a meeting on September 3, the agencies discussed measures to strengthen efforts against online gambling addiction.

Officials noted that a pre-clearing process exists for advertisements of legal operators, but this does not cover illegal gambling platforms.

“The problem is that while legal operators are being monitored, advertisements from illegal gambling operators continue to proliferate,” Tulfo said.

“Whether on radio or on Facebook, you’ll hear ads from operators like 1xBet, even though they are illegal,” he added.

The agencies said they will implement an advertisement template allowing only responsible gambling slogans. However, the ASC and KBP clarified they do not regulate ads on social media platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube, which follow their own rules.

Because of this, Tulfo announced he will invite representatives from Meta, TikTok, and Google to the Games and Amusement panel’s September 11 hearing to discuss stricter regulation. Law enforcement agencies and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) will also be called to address illegal gambling operations.

Present at the September 3 meeting were PAGCOR Chairman Al Tengco and Assistant Vice President Vina Oca; ASC Chairperson Golda Roldan, President Anna Locsin, Vice President Jun Nicdao Jr., Directors Herman Basbaño, Noel Galvez, and Miko David, and Executive Director Robbie Aligada; and KBP representative Bobby Barreiro.

Earlier, Tulfo filed Senate Bill No. 1304 or the “Anti-Online Gambling Act,” seeking to prohibit gambling platforms, betting on online gambling, gambling-related advertisements, and transactions.