Content Writer: Janice Chew • Thursday, 25/10/2025 - 22:40:01 - PM
In the third quarter of 2025, illegal online gambling activity in the Philippines plunged by 93 percent compared to the previous quarter, according to data from cybersecurity firms Gogolook and Whoscall. The steep decline is being credited to enhanced regulatory enforcement and collaborative crackdowns involving multiple government agencies.
Government bodies including the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group, the National Bureau of Investigation, and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission are cited as key partners in the campaign. CICC Acting Executive Director “Aboy” Paraiso noted fewer reports about illicit gambling sites being received via the Whoscall app, and signalled plans to build a digital forensics training center to bolster investigative capacity.
Still, the dramatic drop mirrors intensifying policy measures already underway. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) ordered e-wallets and financial apps to delink gambling features, leading to a roughly 50 percent fall in online gambling transactions overall. Concurrently, authorities have shuttered around 8,900 illegal gambling websites as part of broader enforcement campaigns. As the government debates whether to outright ban or more tightly regulate the sector, some experts cautioned that a total ban could backfire—driving users to offshore or hidden platforms beyond effective oversight.