TikTok has suspended all gambling ads in the Philippines since August 22, the company's head of public policy, Yves Gonzalez, told senators at a Senate hearing on online gambling held on September 161. The hearing examined the link between e-wallets and gambling platforms, and whether the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) can effectively regulate the sector1.
Gonzalez's statement was the clearest commitment made by any platform at the hearing. Google representatives Putri Alam, director for Government Affairs and Public Policy for Southeast Asia, and Arianne Santoso, public policy head, said the Play Store bans gambling apps locally and that gambling ads face strict limits1. Senator Raffy Tulfo, during the hearing, showed an online gambling ad from illegal betting site 1XBet still appearing on YouTube1. Senator Risa Hontiveros said Google took two months to act on a takedown request for online gambling content from the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center1.
Meta was absent despite being invited, and online gambling ads could still be seen on Facebook before the hearing1. Hontiveros suggested issuing a show-cause order to Meta on why it should not be subpoenaed1. Pagcor chair Al Tengco also skipped the hearing; Senator Rodante Marcoleta criticized his absence, and Tengco was reportedly at a seminar after being "invited as a resource person at an ASEAN country"1.
The hearing also covered e-wallet rules. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas ordered GCash and Maya to remove in-app gambling links in August, but BSP Deputy Governor Mamerto Tangonan said the order applied only to clickable links, since licensed gambling operators are treated as legitimate merchants1. Hontiveros said people can funnel up to P500,000 in a day, which she said is 10 times more than a usual bank transaction is allowed in the same period1. GCash's Gilbert Escoto said GLoan proceeds go straight into the wallet and can be co-mingled with other funds; Maya's Toff Rada said Maya has safeguards and detection systems but conceded the risk exists1.
Pagcor's Jessa Mariz Fernandez defended cutting license fees for online gambling operators, from 50% of gross gaming revenues in 2021 down to 30% today, saying it drew illegal operators into the legal fold. She said Pagcor's capture of the market rose from 5% in 2021 to 40% in 20251. Pagcor said its online gambling income fell by up to 50% after the e-wallet delinking1.
"the platform had suspended all gambling ads in the Philippines since August 22"
What it means for players
Gambling ads on TikTok in the Philippines are, by the company's own account to the Senate, no longer running1. That does not change where gambling itself sits: licensed operators remain legitimate merchants for e-wallet transactions, so cash-ins and cash-outs through GCash and Maya continue even after the removal of in-app links1. Players who reach gambling sites through a browser, an external link or a borrowed "mule" account are outside the clickable-link restriction1.
The hearing also put digital lending in scope. GCash and Maya executives acknowledged that loan proceeds can be co-mingled with other wallet funds and used for gambling1. Anyone weighing how winnings are treated, or how to check whether an operator is licensed, can start with Can I Gamble in the Philippines? and Tax on Gambling Winnings in the Philippines. For cross-border rules, see Online Gambling in Asia: The Law for Players in 12 Jurisdictions, and for residents playing elsewhere, Gambling Abroad When You Live in the Philippines. Warning signs of fraudulent operators are covered in Gambling Scams in the Philippines, and treatment and exclusion options in Gambling Help and Self-Exclusion in the Philippines.
Dean Calleja of Bridges of Hope, an addiction treatment center, told senators that gambling patients have increased significantly since the boom of online platforms, and that Pagcor-mandated responsible-play reminders in promotional materials are not enough without a visible call to action for people seeking professional help1. Senator Migz Zubiri cited cases of gambling-linked suicides1.
What happens next
The Senate committee is still deciding whether to ban online gambling or regulate it strictly1. Hontiveros suggested a show-cause order to Meta over why it should not be subpoenaed1. No date has been reported for a committee decision, for any action against Meta, or for further hearings.
