Pasig City Imposes Sweeping Ban on Gambling Advertising
Pasig City, located on the eastern edge of Metro Manila, has enacted one of the Philippines’ strictest local measures against gambling promotion. The new Ordinance No. 26 sharply curtails how gaming companies can market within the city, effectively shutting down most forms of outdoor and public-facing gambling advertising. The legislation marks one of the strongest moves yet from a local government unit (LGU) in regulating gambling visibility in public spaces.
Extensive Limits on Out-of-Home Advertising
The ordinance’s coverage is sweeping. It bans gambling advertisements on traditional billboards, as well as on transit-related placements involving tricycles, pedicabs and other public utility vehicles under the city’s oversight. Advertising displays inside or around terminals serving Pasig-bound or Pasig-routed vehicles are also prohibited.
The restrictions extend further to building wraps, posters in common areas, outdoor LED signage, flyers, brochures, leaflets and nearly all other printed or out-of-home promotional formats. Any gambling-related material circulated, distributed or physically displayed within Pasig’s limits now falls under the ban.
Where Advertising Remains Allowed
Only one exception remains for operators: signage or marketing that appears exclusively within the premises of licensed casinos or authorized betting shops. This means operators may inform customers already inside their establishments, but cannot use the city’s public environment to attract new players.
The ordinance also restricts gambling operators from sponsoring government-linked events, including school activities, sports programs, concerts, cultural shows, religious gatherings and art events held in or supported by government facilities. Corporate social responsibility activities are still permissible as long as distributed items do not carry operator branding or references to gambling products.
Mayor Vico Sotto’s Rationale
Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto explained the measure in a public statement, citing firsthand experiences witnessing the social damage caused by problem gambling. He argued that the ordinance aims not to police personal choice, but to curb persistent exposure to gambling messages that normalize and encourage risky behavior.
Sotto emphasized the harmful impact of constant advertising “nudges,” viewing the policy as a harm-reduction intervention that distinguishes between voluntary gambling and systematic commercial persuasion.
Aligned With National Shifts
The local policy comes amid broader tightening at the national level. PAGCOR earlier this year ordered all online gaming operators to remove billboards and other outdoor promotions across the Philippines. That directive followed Senator Sherwin Gatchalian’s July proposal for more stringent controls on online gambling visibility.
More recently, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas instructed payment platforms Maya and GCash to eliminate gambling-related links, signaling an increasingly restrictive regulatory climate around gaming promotion.
Part of a Larger Movement
Pasig’s stance positions the city ahead of ongoing national reforms, reflecting an LGU acting independently when it believes stronger action is needed. Other cities may follow suit and the ordinance could become a precedent for more comprehensive national advertising rules. What is clear is that the Philippines is moving toward tighter oversight of how gambling is marketed to the public.
