The Catholic Church in the Philippines has once again urged the government to completely ban online gambling, criticizing that its harm to society far exceeds the economic benefits claimed by the government. This move has reignited a nationwide debate on the legality of online gambling under the leadership of "Pagcor".
At the New Evangelization Conference in the Philippines, Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, chairman of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), strongly responded to the government's stance. He revealed that the chairman of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor), Tengco, recently specifically refuted the CBCP's pastoral letter dated July 7, emphasizing that online gambling has generated over 100 billion Philippine pesos (approximately 1.71 billion US dollars) in revenue and provided employment opportunities for tens of thousands of people.
However, Cardinal David disagrees. He countered, "If economic benefits can be used as a defense, should the income from drug addiction also be tolerated?" He emphasized that online gambling induces addiction, family breakdowns, and youth addiction, constituting a "widespread and profound moral crisis." He described this addictive behavior as "modern slavery" and compared it to social media dependency, warning of its erosion on mental health and interpersonal relationships.
The Church has long insisted that relying on gambling revenue is a distorted value. David criticized the government's weak regulatory capacity and questioned whether it could truly prevent tech-savvy young people from easily accessing gambling platforms.
Although President Marcos has not yet made a public statement, financial technology platforms GCash and Maya, as well as the Central Bank of the Philippines, have already strengthened restrictions on gambling-related transactions and advertisements. Some legislators have also proposed bills seeking stricter regulation or even a complete ban on online gambling.
However, some critics point out that simply banning online gambling may only push it underground, failing to eradicate related issues and overlooking deeper social and economic structural contradictions. The Church responded that society should not give up on justice and morality for "superficial benefits."
