Palace: Marcos open to online gambling tax — if well-studied

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.—PPA POOL

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will not object to the Department of Finance’s (DOF) proposed tax on online gaming operators, as long as it is backed by sufficient studies, a Palace official said.

In a briefing on Monday, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro was asked about the President’s stance on the proposal, amid concerns that it could discourage investment in the sector or drive some operators underground.

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“The President is aware of what could happen to those addicted to gambling, and he will not oppose it as long as there is sufficient study regarding the tax that may be imposed,” Castro said in Filipino.

She noted that the government will strengthen its efforts against illegitimate or unregistered online gaming sites.

Castro was also asked whether Marcos is giving closer attention to online gambling, following Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri’s filing of the Anti-Online Gambling Act of 2025, which seeks an outright ban on online gambling in the Philippines.

“Yes, but we cannot say if this will be included in the SONA [State of the Nation Address]. I don’t have any details yet on what the President will say or announce in the SONA. However, these suggestions will be relayed to the President,” she responded.

READ: Online gambling should be banned in PH – Adiong

Aside from the DOF and Zubiri, Senator JV Ejercito also called for immediate and stricter government regulation of online gaming, saying it now poses a greater threat than Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).

Meanwhile, Lanao del Sur 1st District Representative Zia Alonto Adiong said he would push for a total ban on all online gambling activities, stressing that if the country was able to prohibit POGOs, then online gambling should also be stopped. /mr