MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Francis Escudero is pushing for a nationwide ban on gambling advertisements across all media platforms to curb addiction and protect vulnerable Filipinos.
Escudero filed Senate Bill 2347, which seeks to set firm, legally enforceable limits on how gambling platforms promote themselves.
"That’s the logic behind our proposed legislation: don’t make it too easy. How can we make this more difficult so that people can’t just play game so easily?” Escudero said in his “Chiz Wiz! Usapang May Laman” podcast aired on Sunday, noting that online gaming has become pervasive and easily accessible to adults and minors alike.
The senator said there was a need to institutionalize the ban on gambling‑related advertising through legislation, to include the Ad Standards Council’s voluntary guidelines requiring members to remove gambling imagery and paraphernalia across all media platforms because they were not legally enforceable.
This prompted him to file Senate Bill 2347 to prohibit all forms of gambling sponsorships and advertisement on television, radio, print, online platforms, and social media, which he called the “first step in a broader effort to reduce gambling‑related harm.”
"What the law needs is a provision on advertising, because you need to regulate the private companies here," he added.
