Philippine Supreme Court Justice Marvic Leonen recently criticized the national "double standards" in gambling laws in a ruling, pointing out that the enforcement of the law is class-biased and severely erodes social fairness.
The case originated from two men who were charged with gambling for playing the coin-tossing game "cara y cruz" on the street and were found guilty by the local court three times, facing up to three years in prison. However, the Supreme Court overturned the decision in the final appeal, stating that the police failed to provide sufficient evidence of gambling money, betting, or organizers, and acquitted the two men.
In his concurring opinion, Justice Leonen sharply stated: "The poor are sentenced for tossing coins, while the rich bet large amounts in state-operated casinos, and the government earns billions of pesos from gambling, this is not justice, but institutionalized discrimination."
He pointed out that on one hand, the Philippine government defines gambling as a social malady, yet on the other hand, it earns huge revenues through the state-run gambling corporation PAGCOR from table games, electronic gaming, online cockfighting, and offshore gambling. Data shows that as of 2021, PAGCOR's gambling-related revenue reached 32.6 billion pesos, with an additional nearly 3 billion from offshore gambling revenue still unpaid.
Leonen questioned: "When the state chooses to selectively tolerate certain 'social evils' because it can make money from gambling, it already violates the constitutional guarantee of social justice." He called on the government to re-examine gambling policies, not to turn a blind eye to legal gambling for financial interests while strictly punishing small street gamblers.
The publication of this judicial opinion quickly sparked heated public debate, with many scholars and the public agreeing with Leonen's stance, advocating for structural reforms in the judicial system to end the legal double standard that "hits the poor and spares the elites."
