“Banning online gambling won’t make it disappear… it just sends it underground,” said Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) on Tuesday, July 8.
Benitez issued the statement via a Facebook post following Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri’s filing of a bill pushing for a nationwide ban on online gambling.
Zubiri’s measure calls for a complete prohibition, citing a growing “silent epidemic” of gambling addiction, especially among Filipino youth.
The bill proposes prohibiting all forms of online gambling and assigns Internet service providers, mobile networks, and digital platforms the responsibility of blocking access to gambling content.
“I fully support stricter regulations. Smarter, tighter controls to protect citizens and maximize public benefit. But outright bans only make matters worse,” Benitez said.
He said “gambling is here to stay. The only question is whether we want it safely regulated and benefiting our communities or dangerously unregulated and controlled by criminals.”
“Let’s be smart. Let’s protect Filipino jobs, fund essential services, and keep our people safe,” Benitez said.
“Let’s be real: banning websites and apps won’t stop people from accessing them, it just makes them creative”, he said.
He argued for “tech-smart, practical policies that reflect how people really behave online. Modern problems deserve realistic, modern solutions,” instead of “outdated bans.”
Right now, over 40,000 Filipino workers depend directly on regulated online gambling platforms, Benitez said.
“These are real people with real families, relying on these jobs for food, education, healthcare, and a better life”, he said.
Benitez said regulated online gambling generates more than ₱200 billion every year.
“That money doesn’t vanish, it goes directly into hospitals, schools, infrastructure projects, community programs, and social services that improve our daily lives. In fact, DigiPlus alone reported paying ₱33.7 billion in taxes, funding critical public services,” he said.
History has proven repeatedly that prohibition simply doesn’t work, Benitez said.
“Remember alcohol prohibition? Illegal liquor flourished, crime surged, and consumers were left unprotected. The same happened here with jueteng, banning it never stopped it,” he said.
Legal, regulated platforms keep gambling transparent and accountable, Benitez said.
They verify ages to protect minors, ensure games are fair, prevent exploitation, and help spot and support people struggling with gambling addiction early, something impossible with underground operators, he added.
Globally, successful examples like the UK, Sweden, and Denmark demonstrate that regulation, carefully managed and responsibly implemented, works far better than outright bans, Benitez said.*