Key Points
- City legislators approved second-reading legislation eliminating internet-based wagering businesses within Baguio’s jurisdiction.
- Municipal authorities will cease granting new licenses or extensions for digital casinos, electronic gaming, cyber cockfighting, virtual bingo, and associated operations.
- Current license holders receive a 12-month period to cease operations following ordinance implementation.
- Marketing materials for wagering activities face prohibition in community areas, educational facilities, recreational grounds, and religious sites, while event sponsorships encounter limitations.
- Individuals younger than 25 face exclusion from betting establishments, with new oversight committee established for regulation enforcement.
Baguio City has advanced significant legislation aimed at eliminating digital wagering operations throughout its territory. Local legislators approved the measure during second reading proceedings earlier this week.
The legislation encompasses numerous forms of internet-based betting activities. Covered operations include virtual casino platforms, electronic gaming venues, cyber-based cockfighting, digital bingo facilities, and web-based card games. Philippine Offshore Gaming licensees and their ancillary service providers fall within the ordinance’s scope.
Core Provisions of the Legislation
The approved regulations mandate that municipal authorities discontinue processing applications for new licenses or extensions covering these wagering enterprises. Currently licensed establishments receive a 12-month grace period from the ordinance’s effective date to conclude their operations.
The legislation introduces significant constraints on promotional activities for betting services. Marketing materials including outdoor signage, printed advertisements, digital displays, vehicle-mounted promotions, and handbills will be prohibited throughout community spaces. Such promotional content may only appear within properly licensed betting venues.
Designated community locations receive enhanced protections through these regulations. Educational institutions at all levels, recreational facilities, houses of worship, athletic complexes, and recognized child-friendly zones cannot feature wagering-related branding or promotional materials.
Betting enterprises face restrictions on providing financial support for academic programs, athletic competitions, cultural celebrations, religious gatherings, artistic performances, tourism initiatives, or government-sponsored activities. This encompasses neighborhood-level programming and the city’s signature Panagbenga Festival. While charitable contributions from wagering companies remain permissible, they must exclude corporate identification or betting-related branding.
Youth-Focused Protective Measures
The ordinance establishes robust safeguards for residents under 25 years of age. This demographic faces complete exclusion from betting facilities and participation in chance-based activities, including community-organized bingo events.
Educational campuses, collegiate institutions, and student housing facilities receive designation as wagering-prohibited territories. Individuals violating these territorial restrictions face sanctions and potential referral to regulatory authorities.
Community-level bingo activities, validated by the nation’s highest court as legitimate fundraising mechanisms, retain their legal status. However, only conventional, non-digital bingo utilizing physical game cards and manual number selection remains authorized.
Neighborhood councils seeking to organize bingo fundraisers must provide advance notification to newly established oversight authorities. Compliance requirements include venue specifications, age verification protocols, frequency limitations, duration restrictions, and financial accountability reporting for raised funds.
A newly formed Youth and Family Protection Against Gambling Council will oversee implementation efforts. Membership comprises representatives from municipal administration, law enforcement agencies, educational institutions, civil society organizations, and neighborhood councils.
Council responsibilities encompass oversight of community fundraising activities, processing public grievances, and providing quarterly progress reports to city legislators. Municipal authorities plan to deploy digital reporting infrastructure enabling residents to identify unauthorized betting websites, mobile applications, and social media accounts.
Information gathered through this reporting mechanism will be forwarded to PAGCOR, the National Telecommunications Commission, the Department of Information and Communications Technology, and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center. The city intends to collaborate with telecommunications providers and payment processing networks to restrict wagering-related transactions.
Violators face monetary penalties reaching P5,000, incarceration periods up to 12 months, or combined sanctions. Supplementary consequences may include permit cancellation, operational shutdowns, and recurring daily fines for continued non-compliance.
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