Baguio City Ordinance Pushes to Ban Online Gambling

The councilors of Baguio City have passed the proposed ordinance in its second reading, which aims to prohibit online gambling firms, limit gambling advertising in public places, and impose stricter measures for the legitimate gambling games.

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Online Gambling Restrictions

Under the proposal, no new permits or renewals would be allowed for online gambling operations and related service providers within Baguio City. The covered activities include online casinos, e-games, online sabong, e-bingo outlets, online poker, Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators, computer gaming stations, and support entities that enable such operations.

Existing businesses covered by the prohibition would be given 1 year from the effectivity of the ordinance to cease operations. The measure is designed to reduce gambling-related harms by limiting access and removing the local regulatory space for these activities.

The proposal also seeks to prohibit gambling advertisements, marketing, and promotional activities in public spaces. Billboards, posters, LED screens, transit advertisements, flyers, and other outdoor ads promoting gambling would no longer be allowed, while such advertisements would only be permitted within the premises of duly licensed establishments.

Public Spaces And Sponsorships

Gambling-related branding and promotions would also be barred in schools, universities, parks, churches, sports facilities, and other areas identified as Healthy Child Zones. The ordinance also takes aim at gambling operators that support public events through sponsorships.

According to the proposed ordinance, gambling companies will be banned from sponsoring educational, sporting, cultural, religious, arts, tourism, and municipal programs and events, such as those conducted by barangays and Panagbenga Festival. However, donations and corporate social responsibilities of gambling companies can still be allowed, provided that they will not bear the name or any advertisement of gambling companies.

The proposed restrictions place public visibility at the center of the measure. By limiting where gambling ads can appear and where companies can sponsor events, the city hopes to reduce the reach of gambling promotion in community spaces.

Youth Protection Rules

The ordinance puts strong emphasis on youth protection. Persons below 25 years old would not be allowed to enter gambling establishments or take part in games of chance, including barangay bingo activities.

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Schools, universities, student dormitories, and similar facilities would be designated as gambling-free zones. Violations would be subject to penalties and referral to the appropriate regulatory authorities.

The measure also seeks to regulate Bingo sa Barangay activities, which the Supreme Court has recognized as a legitimate fundraising mechanism for barangays. Only traditional, non-electronic bingo using physical cards and manually drawn numbers would be allowed.

Barangays planning to hold such activities would need to notify the Youth and Family Protection Against Gambling Council, comply with venue and age restrictions, observe limits on the frequency and duration of events, and submit financial reports showing how proceeds were used for community projects.

Enforcement And Penalties

The proposed council aims to enhance the system of governance through the creation of the Youth and Family Protection Against Gambling Council, which will comprise members from the city government, law enforcement agencies, academe, NGOs, and barangays.

Its duties include the management of barangay fundraising activities, handling of complaints from the public, coordination of actions taken against gambling, prescription of limits on betting in licensed gambling places, and quarterly reporting to the City Council. The city would also set up a digital reporting system for residents to flag illegal gambling websites, mobile applications, and social media accounts.

Reports would be endorsed to PAGCOR, the National Telecommunications Commission, the Department of Information and Communications Technology, and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center. The city is also supposed to cooperate with Internet Service Providers and electronic financial networks in order to prevent gambling transactions.

Those who violate the proposed ordinance can be subject to penalties of up to a P5,000 fine, up to 1 year of imprisonment, or both. Depending on the case, there might be some additional penalties imposed, such as license revocation, closing of establishments, prohibition of using prohibited advertising materials, and daily fines for repeated violations.

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Source: North Luzon Monitor