DEPDev Sees Need to Regulate, Tax Online Gambling

The government should tax online gambling given its social risks, and e-wallets may be the key to effectively capture these revenues, according to the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev).

- By Louella Desiderio

Amid the rising popularity of online gambling in the country, Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan told reporters that there is a need to tax it.

"The reality is that it's there, but you need to tax it. I think at the very least, you can tax [it]," he said.

He said online gambling should be treated the same way as cigarettes and sugar, which are being imposed with taxes.

"It's becoming a concern.

And the proliferation, I think, after the banning of POGO (Philippine offshore gaming operators) is concerning," he said.