President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said the government has taken steps to convene a multi-sectoral conference aimed at developing a comprehensive policy on online gambling.

In the latest episode of the BBM Podcast aired on Thursday, the President said the issue of online gambling was not included in his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) due to the ongoing policy formulation.

“We still have to form the policy on what we are going to do about online gambling. And to this end, I have already started to organize, to convene a conference of all the stakeholders,” President Marcos said.

The conference will include the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), church and religious groups, and parents, among others.

The President said the primary focus will be the effective regulation of online gambling.

“The first effect of banning it fully is to put it underground, and then we have no control. ‘Yan talagang wala na tayong regulation,” President Marcos explained.

The President said a comprehensive policy will address the social problems associated with online gambling, such as addiction, debt, and exposing young persons to gambling.

“These are the things that we are going to examine, and we will come up with a plan to make sure that we address the problem,” President Marcos said.

“The problem is not online gambling. The problem(s) are the social effects on our children and those who are addicted to gambling,” the President added. | PND