Digital Dice of Death: Marcos’ Online Gambling Betrayal

By Louis ‘Barok‘ C. Biraogo — July 9, 2025

BRAVO, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., you maestro of indecision, diligently “studying” the online gambling apocalypse as if it’s a Sudoku puzzle rather than a tsunami of despair drowning Filipino families. While you ponder, a pregnant mother bets her last ₱2,500—meant for her children’s milk—on a baccarat app. A support group with 20,000 members weeps daily, with “M” posting a final “Adios!” before ending his life. Bravo, sir, for your academic caution. The body count can wait, right?

Here’s a razor-sharp dissection of this moral travesty, dripping with the sarcasm and outrage it deserves.

The Grand Charade: Marcos’ Masterful Inaction

Marcos’ press officer, Claire Castro, coos that the president is “listening” to the cries of gambling addicts, open to “well-studied” proposals to perhaps, someday, address this crisis Inquirer, July 8, 2025. How heartwarming.

This is the same government that banned Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) with a flick of the wrist, yet now clutches its pearls when domestic online gambling—more insidious, lurking in every child’s phone—wreaks havoc. Why the hesitation? Could it be the ₱48.8 billion Pagcor pocketed last year, a jackpot so juicy it’s worth “studying” while suicides mount?

A finance executive loses ₱20 million, his marriage, and nearly his life Inquirer, July 8, 2025. A jeepney driver bets his day’s wages on a ₱50 top-up. But let’s not be hasty—Marcos needs more charts.

The hypocrisy is suffocating: ban foreign POGOs but let homegrown digital casinos feast on the poor. It’s like outlawing heroin but legalizing meth because it’s made in Manila.

Blood Money Bonanza: Profit Trumps Lives

Let’s crunch the numbers, shall we? Online gambling, that gilded parasite, delivered ₱104.12 billion in Q1 2025, with e-games hogging 49.36% of Pagcor’s gross gaming revenue, projecting ₱150 billion annually BusinessWorld, July 8, 2025. That funds government programs, sure, but at what cost?

Bankruptcies, suicides, children starved because parents’ wages vanish into predatory apps. A 39-year-old pregnant mother loses her last peso for her kids’ food Inquirer, July 8, 2025. Another addict relapses, torching ₱267,000 in one baccarat binge, apologizing to himself online.

This is Big Tobacco reincarnate: rake in billions, ignore the corpses. Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, a rare voice of sanity, calls this a “silent epidemic,” noting that better tax collection could replace the ₱48.8 billion without the bloodshed Inquirer, July 8, 2025.

But no, the government clings to its casino cash like a junkie to a slot machine, pretending the revenue justifies the wreckage.

Pimps of Misery: Celebrities and E-Wallets Fuel the Fire

Meet the enablers: celebrities and influencers, those dazzling vultures Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David brands “legal pushers,” hawking gambling apps for a paycheck Inquirer, July 8, 2025. Their ads infest social media, luring the desperate with promises of quick riches.

Then there’s GCash and Maya, e-wallets that make betting easier than buying rice, with top-ups as low as ₱50 Philippine Star, July 7, 2025. A ₱10,000 minimum cash-in is proposed to “protect” the poor—because that’s apparently the best barrier we can muster to stop a jeepney driver from gambling away his kids’ future.

Meanwhile, DigiPlus Interactive Corp., the poster child of predation, holds a ₱222.68 billion market cap despite stock wobbles BusinessWorld, July 8, 2025. Billionaires lobby unchecked, while the poor drown in debt.

These accomplices aren’t just complicit—they’re the engine of this misery, and Marcos’ “study” lets them run wild.

Regulation Ruse: Half-Measures for a Full-Blown Catastrophe

The “regulation over ban” mantra is a spineless dodge. Senator Sherwin Gatchalian’s bill—stricter KYC rules, ad limits, e-wallet bans—sounds bold until you see it’s a Band-Aid on a guillotine wound Inquirer, July 8, 2025.

Why ban POGOs but let domestic apps turn phones into “portable casinos,” as Cardinal David laments? House Bill 1351’s 10% tax for rehab is a cruel joke—taxing misery to fund its aftermath is like taxing bullets to pay for funerals Philippine Star, July 7, 2025.

Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong cuts through the nonsense: if physical POGOs are banned, why is virtual poison legal? Inquirer, July 8, 2025.

The claim that a ban would drive gambling underground is laughable—7,000 illegal sites were already shut down by June 2025 Rappler, July 7, 2025.

Regulation isn’t slowing the slaughter; it’s just polishing the butcher’s knife.

A Battle Cry for Justice: Stop the Carnage Now

Enough with the studies, Mr. President. The evidence is etched in suicide notes, empty wallets, and hungry children. Act now, or your legacy will be a nation of broken homes.

Here’s the plan:

Smash E-Wallet Links: Cut GCash and Maya from gambling apps. Force transactions through AMLC-approved channels, with ₱5 million fines and license revocation for violators Philippine Star, July 7, 2025.
Crush Celebrity Shills: Ban influencer endorsements. Fine them into obscurity and expose their greed. Let their fans see the misery they peddle Inquirer, July 8, 2025.
Seize Gambling Taxes: Divert 100% of gambling revenue to addiction rehab, mental health, and social services—not a measly 10%. Stop laundering blood money into public coffers Philippine Star, July 7, 2025.
Expose the Sellouts: Name lawmakers bowing to DigiPlus’ lobbyists. The poor aren’t your slot machine, and their lives aren’t your chips.

How many more “M’s” must die before you move?

Marcos, your State of the Nation Address on July 28 is your chance to be a leader, not a bystander Inquirer, July 8, 2025.

The Philippines doesn’t need another PowerPoint; it needs a president with the courage to shut down this digital abattoir.

Stop studying. Start saving.

Key References

Inquirer, July 8, 2025: News report detailing Marcos’ stance, addiction stories, and legislative proposals.
BusinessWorld, July 8, 2025: Reports Pagcor’s ₱48.8 billion revenue and e-games’ 49.36% share.
Philippine Star, July 7, 2025: Discusses House Bill 1351’s 10% tax and e-wallet restrictions.
Rappler, July 7, 2025: Notes 7,000 illegal gambling sites shut down by June 2025.