DICT begins crackdown on illegal gambling promotions, influencers under fire

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), through its Cybercrime Investigation and Coordination Center (CICC), has begun taking action against content promoting unlicensed online gambling platforms.

According to the CICC, around 80% of top influencers have already removed related content. The crackdown follows recent efforts to curb the spread of gambling promotions across platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.

CICC Executive Director Renato Paraiso confirmed that the agency is now expanding its investigation beyond high-profile creators. The CICC is also coordinating with platforms like Meta to strengthen enforcement and has begun issuing formal notices to violators.

Paraiso urged the public to refer to the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) website for a list of legitimate, licensed online gaming operators. He emphasized that registered platforms follow proper identity verification and consumer protection standards.

13 major influencers 20 with a collective reach of over 46 million followers are under investigation at the time of writing. The people in question are under scrutiny, allegedly earning 50-60% of revenues from illegal gambling sites.

While there are creators like Kazumi that have distanced themselves, others like Chooks TV have yet to comment on the issue.

The CICC warns that those who continue to promote illegal gambling platforms may face charges under laws covering illegal gambling, tax evasion, and data privacy violations.