More than 8000 illegal gambling sites taken down — CICC

MANILA, Philippines — The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) has taken down more than 8000 illegal online gambling sites, the agency said in a state-run news channel. 

CICC Deputy Executive Director Renato “Aboy” Paraiso said the agency has taken down a total of 8,901 illegal gambling sites. 

“Dahil sa threat monitoring center natin, talagang inaasahan nating nakakita ito dahil aktibo tayo sa paghahanap ng mga illegal gambling sites na ito, illegal scam sites na ito,” Paraiso said. 

(Because of our threat monitoring center, we really expected to find this because we are actively searching for these illegal gambling and illegal scam sites.)

Paraiso also said the agency anticipates the number of sites to increase as its efforts against illegal online gambling continue.

He added that the CICC has been working to enhance its coordination with other government agencies to address illegal online recruitment and scams.

“At ngayon ho ang dami nating partnerships with other government agencies, very soon ho the partnership with DMW (Department of Migrant Workers) would be there para naman ho sawatain na rin natin at hanapin at i-block na rin natin itong mga illegal online recruitment scams na ito,” Paraiso said. 

(And now we have partnerships with many government agencies. Very soon, we will have a partnership with the Department of Migrant Workers so we can find and block illegal recruitment scams.)

The CICC stated that it began sending show-cause orders to social media influencers last month for their continued promotion of illegal online gambling.

On Thursday, the Bangko Sentral Pilipinas said that it ordered e-wallet applications to delink users from online gambling platforms, a move that fintech firms GCash and PayMaya said they will comply with once they receive the central bank’s order.

Authorities have raised concerns about the social impact of online gambling, citing issues such as addiction, family problems and financial hardship.

While some lawmakers are pushing for a complete ban on the industry to protect minors and families, other officials and industry groups argue that such a move could lead to job losses, weaken consumer protections, and reduce government revenue.

The Roman Catholic Church has also joined the debate, condemning online gambling as a "public health crisis."

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