The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has ordered digital payment giants GCash and Maya to remove all in-app links and icons redirecting to gambling sites.
GCash and Maya to Disconnect Online Gambling
The directive follows a recent Senate hearing where lawmakers highlighted the accessibility and addiction risks associated with these integrated services.
Moreover, the BSP’s order gives the supervised financial institutions 48 hours to comply. According to Deputy Governor Mamerto Tangonan, the grace period is intended to provide the companies with time to make the necessary changes and to allow users to withdraw any remaining funds from their gaming accounts before access is cut off.
Both GCash and Maya have issued statements confirming their commitment to comply with the central bank’s directive fully.
This action is part of a broader effort by the BSP to finalize stricter regulations on online gambling payment services. While the current directive focuses on removing in-app links, senators are pushing for a more comprehensive solution, including a potential total ban on linking any bank or e-wallet accounts to online gambling platforms.
This development also aligns with a recent directive from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) to remove outdoor advertisements for online gambling.
Started his freelancing adventure in 2018 and began doing freelance Audio Engineering work and then started freelance writing a few years later.
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