Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas statement on Online gambling

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) will issue a circular meant to protect users of digital platforms from risks associated with online gambling, in line with the BSP's financial consumer protection agenda and financial health goals.

As part of this effort, the BSP has circulated a draft of the document and is currently reviewing feedback from stakeholders. The circular would seek to require BSP-supervised institutions (BSIs), primarily banks and electronic money issuers, to better protect users of their digital platforms from these risks. Protection may come in the form of various limits to gaming access.

The BSP is taking a collaborative approach to crafting the circular, to ensure that the final policy strikes a balance between protecting consumers and preserving access to digital payments for licensed businesses.

This latest initiative builds on the BSP's earlier actions, including its 2021[1] directive prohibiting regulated entities from dealing with unlicensed gambling operators, and its 2022[2] order for e-wallets and other BSIs to remove links to electronic sabong (e-sabong) from their platforms following the suspension by the national government of all e-sabong operations.

The BSP remains committed to promoting a safe, secure, and inclusive digital finance ecosystem for all Filipinos.