A Philippine legislator wants online gambling adverts, sponsorships and influencer promotions removed from public view. The proposal is extensive, although enforcing it against offshore operators may prove difficult.
Online gambling advertising could disappear across the Philippines if a new bill filed by Cebu Third District Representative, Karen Hope Garcia, makes it through Congress. Garcia submitted House Bill No. 10982, aka, the proposed Online Gambling Advertising Prohibition Act of 2026, on August 26. The House of Representatives read the bill on September 1 and referred it to the Committee on Games and Amusements
The proposal covers a ban on ads aired on television, radio, newspapers, billboards, websites, streaming services, social media and mobile applications. Paid search campaigns, targeted adverts, emails and text messages are also included in this prohibition.
So, if the bill is signed into law, bonuses, free bets, referral codes and affiliate offers would be outlawed. Additionally, influencers, vloggers, celebrities and athletes would no longer be allowed to promote online gambling, while sponsorships involving sports, concerts and other events would also be banned. Interestingly, even cross-promotion is covered. An advert for a land-based product could breach the law if it shares branding with an online operator.
However, it’s worth noting that Garcia isn’t trying to ban licensed gambling within state lines. Land-based casinos, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office lotteries, authorized horse racing and licensed cockfighting would remain permitted. On top of that, news reports, academic discussions and government communications would also be exempt from the ban.
That said, online operators could still provide factual, non-promotional information to registered customers through their own platforms, provided those customers have completed age and identity checks.
Electronic and online gaming generated PHP201.12 billion ($3.36 billion) in gross gaming revenue during 2025. That was 50.77% of the industry’s PHP396.14 billion ($6.34 billion) total, putting online gaming ahead of licensed casinos for the very first time in the Southeast Asian nation.
Garcia argues that smartphone and social-media marketing has made gambling too easy to reach, especially for young people and families under financial pressure. She aptly summed up the concern neatly by saying: “Every smartphone is now a potential 24-hour casino.”
Parties found in violation of the new regulation could face fines ranging from PHP500,000 ($7,998) to PHP10 million ($159,685), license suspension or cancellation, and up to three years in prison.
Public figures may be ordered to return endorsement payments and could be barred from future gambling promotions for three to five years. Social media platforms, media companies, advertising technology firms and internet service providers could face daily fines of PHP50,000 ($800) for failing to comply.
Gaming lawyers Russell Stanley Geronimo and Marie Antonette Quiogue warn that licensed operators may bear the brunt of the ban while offshore sites continue advertising through private messages, SMS campaigns and affiliates.
A national law would give Philippine authorities more power over local advertisers, publishers and influencers bit it wouldn’t make foreign operators easy to prosecute. Website blocking and payment restrictions may therefore become just as important.
House Bill 10982 must still clear committee scrutiny and the remaining stages of Congress. It also sits alongside Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero’s broader Senate Bill No. 2347, which targets gambling advertising generally. Political pressure is building but whether enforcement can keep pace is the bigger question.
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