MANILA, Philippines – Players are spending more time on unregulated platforms, seemingly unaware of the risks they face in using these websites and applications, with the possibility of winning bearing more weight than consequences.
Sociocultural research firm The Fourth Wall found in its latest study on unregulated online gambling platforms in the country that more than half of players, or 55 percent, do not know the legal risks tied to these websites, mainly because these were not explicitly shown.
Meanwhile, 33 percent of the 400 respondents from Mega Manila, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao said they knew “a little,” and 12 percent found the rules “pretty clear.”
READ: Pagcor: Online gaming transactions down 50% after BSP directive
Rules and safeguards were more explicit on licensed platforms, The Fourth Wall added.
This, it pointed out, highlighted a significant knowledge gap regarding the consequences they may face, making players more vulnerable and resulting in “riskier behaviors.”
Limited awareness
“This limited awareness helps explain why confidence in unregulated platforms is mixed,” the research firm said in its study, which was conducted from Aug. 15 to Aug. 16.
According to The Fourth Wall, 27 percent of players were uncomfortable with playing on unregulated platforms, 11 percent were “not comfortable at all,” and 5 percent said they had “no option.”
Still, activity was heavier in these risky platforms.
The study revealed that 41 percent of users played here twice to thrice a week, while 16.6 percent played four to five times a week, and 14.4 percent played more than five times.
They likewise placed higher bets, from P100 to P499 and P1,000.
Chance to win
Players also preferred unregulated platforms because these typically had greater game variety, faster transactions, convenient payment options and more frequent promotions, according to the study.
“Our study reveals confidence, fairness and profitability matter more than platform features such as betting permits or affiliate programs,” The Fourth Wall research director John Brylle Bae said in a statement.
“This explains why players, despite the uncertainty and uneasiness, continue to engage with these platforms as long as they perceive a chance to win,” Bae added.
Scrutiny over online gambling platforms started becoming heavier in July, when Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian filed a bill calling for tighter regulations. Some lawmakers suggested an outright ban.
E-wallets
The latest development was the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ move ordering e-wallets to unlink from online gambling apps on Aug. 16. Both Ayala-backed GCash and Manuel Pangilinan-led Maya have confirmed their compliance.
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A separate The Fourth Wall analysis likewise showed that unregulated gambling platforms offered games that were not verified by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., lacked know-your-customer procedures and had “more lucrative” marketing and affiliate structures.
“These differences expose players to various risks, including excessive financial losses, scams, fraud and privacy issues from spam texts,” The Fourth Wall said. INQ
