MANILA — Senator Rodante D. Marcoleta urged government agencies to seek the help of licensed online gambling operators in identifying and curbing illegal e-gambling activities in the country.

“Bakit ‘di n’yo tignan yung online gambling operators? Bakit hindi sila tumulong sa gobyerno? Tutal sila ang mino-monitor eh,” Marcoleta told Aboy Paraiso, Deputy Executive Director of the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), during a Senate hearing on proposed measures seeking stricter regulation or an outright ban on online gambling.

Paraiso earlier reported that authorities have already taken down more than 10,000 illegal online gambling sites and apps. However, he admitted that the CICC can only close sites hosted in the Philippines, with offshore operations beyond their reach.

He added that tracking users of virtual private networks (VPNs) also poses difficulties since VPNs hide the location of users’ IP addresses.

The senator also renewed his call on the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) to address e-gambling issues at their source. He suggested possible coordination with platforms such as Google and Apple Store to regulate related sites and apps.

“Ang ating problema talaga, kahit na legal o illegal, yung social ills (ng online gambling) ay nandyan talaga,” Marcoleta said.

He noted that while the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ move to delink e-wallets from gambling apps was a vital step, online gambling continues to pose risks to society.