Concert-ed or directed

There is a concerted effort to justify and convince legislators, media and the public that there are benefits to Online gambling.

- CITO BELTRAN

In fact, some government agencies and offices have been peddling the idea that all the ills of Online gambling can be remedied.

This has been the tactic of government and its minions whenever Filipinos and responsible leaders rise up to put a stop to forms of gambling that have gone wrong. First, they tell us it is just mismanaged and second, it can be fixed.

But who benefits from legalized gambling in the Philippines? First is the largest Gambling Lord in the Philippines, the national government. Then it would be the licensed operators and third the officials who regulate or create the rules.

On the other hand, who ends up suffering, losing hard-earned money, as well as causing pain and conflict among family members? Filipinos! Just this weekend I was visited by a Barangay Chairman who asked me to write about the curse of the online game called "Scatter."

He told me that this form of gambling has become so widespread and damaging to the lives, finances and families of ordinary wage earners all over Batangas. On the same day, a father shared with me how his son got buried in debts and loans amounting to 2 million to fund his online gambling habit.

All the son could do was to kneel in front of his parents and ask for forgiveness. Fearing his son would commit suicide to escape creditors and loan sharks, the father sent his son away, sold their land and paid 1 million and negotiated to pay off the rest on installment.

Thank God that we have several upstanding Senators who have already expressed support to ban online gambling and their numbers grow weekly.