• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Negros Occidental Third District Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez has opposed calls to ban online gambling in the Philippines as he pushed for stricter regulation of such activity.
“Banning online gambling won’t make it disappear… it just sends it underground,” he said in a statement posted on social media on Tuesday.
The neophyte lawmaker’s father, Bacolod City Lone District Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, engages in online gaming business under the firm DigiPlus (formerly Leisure and Resorts World Corp.).
“The reality is simple: 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,” Benitez said.
He added: “I fully support stricter regulations. Smarter, tighter controls to protect citizens and maximize public benefit. History has proven repeatedly that prohibition simply doesn’t work.”
Benitez said that legal, regulated platforms keep gambling transparent and accountable. “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 said.
He also said that the legal online gaming industry has become deeply integrated into the country’s economy, far beyond entertainment.
Benitez noted that regulated online gambling contributes more than P200 billion annually to the Philippine economy.
“That money doesn’t vanish — it goes directly into hospitals, schools, infrastructure projects, community programs, and social services that improve our daily lives,” he said.
He said that DigiPlus alone reported paying P33.7 billion in taxes, funding critical public services.
Benitez said more than 40,000 Filipinos are currently employed in regulated online gambling platforms.
“These are real people with real families relying on these jobs for food, education, healthcare, and a better life,” he added.
Benitez appealed to fellow lawmakers to “be smart and protect Filipino jobs, fund essential services, and keep our people safe”.
Akbayan party-list lawmakers Chel Diokno, Perci Cendaña, and Dadah Ismulla filed House Bill 1351 restricting access to online gambling or the Kontra e-Sugal Act.
Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri also filed the Anti-Online Gambling Act of 2025 that seeks an outright ban on online gambling in the Philippines, calling it a “silent epidemic” that is quietly harming Filipinos, especially minors and the most vulnerable. | GB
