Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has pulled the Facebook pages of at least 20 social media influencers who promoted illegal iGaming to followers in the Philippines.
The sanction followed a request from the Philippine Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center and Digital Pinoys, a network of “Filipino digital advocates, for the people by the people”.
Digital Pinoys spokesman Ronald Gustilo thanked Meta “for swiftly acting on our joint request… to take down the pages of influencers blatantly promoting illegal online gambling. We hope the remaining pages flagged in our initial report will be removed in the coming days.”
Senator Joel Villanueva hailed the move as “a significant step forward in our campaign to push for a total ban” on iGaming. Villanueva authored Senate Bill No 47, the Anti-Online Gambling Act, which would prohibit all forms of iGaming in the Philippines.
The list of influencers includes Sachzna Laparan, with 9.7 million followers; Boy Tapang, with 5.5 million followers; and actor Mark Anthony Fernandez, with 242,000 followers.
“Some of these influencers thought they were untouchable – that we were bluffing,” said Gustilo. “They gambled with the law and now they’re facing the consequences.”
Philippines clergy calls for iGaming ban
The Catholic Church continues to urge an online gambling ban. The Manila Standard cited a letter from Pablo Virgilio Cardinal David, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines.
“Why do many in the government, the media and business world seem to be silent [about iGaming]?” David asked. “They choose to stay silent because of the considerable profits that this industry generates. What is sad is that in many cases families, communities – as well as the church – remain silent in the lamentation of those seeking help due to their enslavement.”
In 2024, legal iGaming generated gross gaming revenues of PHP154.51 billion ($2.7 billion), up 165% year-on-year. Illegal iGaming also continues to proliferate. Last July, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp reported that it had blocked 5,793 illegal iGaming websites and apps.
That same month, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr banned Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations due to reports of money laundering, human trafficking and other crimes.
Survey: Online gamblers prefer regulations over ban
In related news, a survey of 1,000 online gamblers in the Philippines suggests they prefer stronger industry regulations over a total ban.
According to research firm The Fourth Wall, most of those gamblers describe themselves as “casual, low-stakes and self-regulating”. They see the pastime as “social and recreational” and say safety and legitimacy are top priorities. They oppose an outright ban, which they say could drive players to unregulated gaming sites.
Some 36% of respondents said they are “break-even optimists” who gamble moderately while 85% said they don’t borrow money to support the activity. But 12% admitted to being “risky borrowing high-frequency bettors” who play often and may incur financial trouble.
Collectively, those polled said “curiosity, boredom and peer influence” were the reasons they first tried online gambling.
“Our study reveals greater preference for safer and regulated platforms among Filipino online gambling players,” said John Brylle L Bae, Fourth Wall research director. “There is an understanding among them that an outright ban won’t stop online gambling, but instead push it underground, increasing risks like scams and addiction through unregulated channels. This suggests their call for regulation is rooted in safer options and better consumer protection.”
For the full report, visit www.fourthwallglobal.com/phonlinegambling.
Meta has removed the Facebook pages of 20 Filipino influencers who endorsed illegal online gambling, while some iGaming critics continue to push for full ban.