��������

MANILA: The Philippine gaming regulator on Monday opposed a proposed ban on online gambling, despite mounting nationwide calls to criminalize it over soaring numbers of addiction, debt and mental health cases.

The online gambling sector in the Philippines has been growing exponentially, with gross revenues jumping from $140 million in 2022 to $2.4 billion in 2024, according to Senate Committee on Games and Amusement data.

The committee held a hearing last week, highlighting the human cost of the industry, with its members demanding to outlaw it, saying the country was facing a full-blown public health and social crisis.

Sen. Erwin Tulfo, who led the hearing on online gambling, warned that “as long as online gambling exists, we are breeding the next generation of addicts, debtors, and broken families.”

He called for a ban and to “prosecute not only the operators, but also the enablers — in the government and in the private sector — who profit from this misery.”

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. — a government-owned and -controlled corporation, which is both an operator and regulator, and was present during the hearing — sent Arab News a statement saying it “is not in favor of a total ban and instead advocates for stricter regulation.”

The corporation said illegal operators were the real problem.

“Unfortunately, many of these unregulated online operators are based overseas who target Filipinos, most of whom do not realize that the sites they are playing on are not licensed by PAGCOR. This is where problems arise, especially regarding age restrictions.”

But a survey cited by senators indicates that age was not the main issue. It indicated that 66 percent of Filipinos aged 18 to 40, and 57 percent of those aged 41 to 55 were engaged in online gambling. Nearly a third bet multiple times a week, some wagering up to $53 per session.

Majority Leader Joel Villanueva warned that online gambling was a “growing national crisis” in the Philippines.

“People are not just risking their hard-earned money. They are putting their futures, families, and lives on the line. The lure of instant wealth has already led many down a path of addiction, debt, and despair,” he said.

“Online gambling is not just a matter of financial loss. It is strongly associated with serious mental and physical health issues, broken relationships, family conflict, increased cases of domestic violence and suicide, crime against persons and property, and ultimately, the erosion of opportunities and dignity in the lives of many Filipinos.”

Bridges of Hope, a prominent addiction treatment and rehabilitation organization in the Philippines, reports that currently seven out of 10 of its clients are now treated for online gambling addiction.

The support group Recovering Gamblers of the Philippines says that the proportion of online gamblers among its members has increased from 60 to 90 percent in just the past two years.

Dr. Tony Leachon, a physician and commentator on public health, said that online gambling addiction has turned into a “silent epidemic that corrodes mental health, destabilizes families, and fractures communities.”

He warned that PAGCOR’s “dual role as regulator and operator creates a conflict of interest that undermines protective measures” in the Philippines, where financial vulnerability is widespread.

Leachon told Arab News: “Addiction drives people to borrow from loan sharks, sell possessions, or neglect basic needs like food and education. This is not merely a behavioral issue.

“It is a public health crisis that demands systemic intervention, just as we would respond to substance abuse or infectious disease.”

“Without decisive action, we risk institutionalizing addiction as a cultural norm,” he added.

OSLO: Some 200 climate activists including Greta Thunberg of Sweden blocked Norway’s largest oil refinery on Monday in a protest demanding an end to the country’s oil industry, organizers and police said.
Activists from Extinction Rebellion sat on the road, blocking the entrance to the Mongstad refinery in Bergen on Norway’s southwestern coast, while kayaks and sailboats obstructed the port’s entrance.
“We are here because it’s crystal clear that there is no future in oil. Fossil fuels lead to death and destruction,” Thunberg said in a statement, adding that oil producers like Norway “have blood on their hands.”
The burning of fossil fuels releases planet-heating carbon emissions.
Police said they were at the scene monitoring the situation from around 9:00 a.m. (0700 GMT).
The activists said they plan to continue with a string of protests in Norway throughout the week.
The Mongstad refinery is owned by Norwegian oil giant Equinor, which is majority-owned by the Norwegian state.
The activists demanded that Norwegian politicians present “a plan to phase out oil and gas.”
Norway, western Europe’s biggest oil and gas producer, is regularly criticized for its oil and gas production.
Oslo insists its industry provides jobs and develops know-how, and stresses the importance of guaranteeing stable energy deliveries to Europe.
Equinor has said it intends to keep its oil production in the country stable at 1.2 million barrels per day until 2035, and expects to produce 40 billion cubic meters (52 billion cubic yards) of gas a year by 2035.