A Philippine digital advocacy network, Digital Pinoys, has urged Meta to take down the pages of influencers it says are promoting illegal online gambling operations, the group said on July 22, 2025. Digital Pinoys identified 20 influencers and social media pages with a combined following of over 44 million users as among those allegedly promoting illegal gambling1.
At least four of those pages have already been suspended on Facebook, according to Digital Pinoys national campaigner Ronald Gustilo1.
The request came alongside new data from the scam prevention app Whoscall showing that gambling-related links were the fastest-growing category of risky links reported in the Philippines in the second quarter of 2025. Online gambling links recorded the highest surge at 76 percent, to 4,3081. Overall, reports of risky links picked up by 38 percent to 18,735 in the second quarter, from 13,602 in the first quarter1.
Other categories also rose. Links that promote fake incentives, promos and rewards jumped by 57 percent to 4,497, and online loan links spiked by 20 percent to 9,9301. By contrast, text scams fell by 90 percent to 65,035 in the second quarter, from 648,239 in the first quarter, and Whoscall observed a similar decline in scam calls, to 34,964, from 351,6991.
| Risky link category | Second quarter 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Online gambling | 4,308 | up 76 percent |
| Fake incentives, promos and rewards | 4,497 | up 57 percent |
| Online loans | 9,930 | up 20 percent |
| All risky links | 18,735 | up 38 percent from 13,602 |
Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center deputy executive director Renato Paraiso said his agency is uncovering as many as 20 illegal gambling sites every day1. These sites are turned over to the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) for verification, and if found operating illegally, are blocked from Philippine domain1.
"Digital Pinoys identified 20 influencers and social media pages with a combined following of over 44 million users as among those who are allegedly promoting illegal gambling operations"
What it means for players
The figures point to a shift in how gambling-related scams reach people in the Philippines. Scam calls and texts have fallen sharply, while links shared on social media, particularly Facebook, are the main channel now being reported1. That matters for anyone in the country who follows betting or casino content online, whether they are locals, expats or visitors, because a promoted page or influencer post is not the same as a licensed operator.
The Whoscall data covers reported risky links, not confirmed crimes, and the counts do not identify which sites or pages were verified as illegal. The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center sends suspected illegal gambling sites to PAGCOR for verification before any blocking1. Digital Pinoys has named no individuals in the report, and it has not been reported which of the 20 accounts remain active beyond the four suspensions1.
For background on how these schemes work and how to report them, see Gambling Scams in the Philippines and Gambling Scams and Safety in Asia. For the legal position on betting in the country, see Can I Gamble in the Philippines?.
What happens next
Policymakers are crafting tighter regulations on online gambling, from preventing underaged gaming to limiting daily buy-in1. Paraiso said his agency is ready to take on a larger role in scanning the web for illegal gambling platforms once stricter regulations are issued1. No date has been reported for when those rules will be issued, and Meta has not been reported to have responded to the Digital Pinoys request.
