Civil Service Commission (CSC) chairperson Marilyn Barua-Yap said there is no law yet preventing government officials and employees from engaging in online or land-based gambling in casinos outside office hours.

Barua-Yap issued the clarification during the budget briefing on the commission’s proposed P4.19-billion budget for 2026, following the warning issued by Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla that government officials and employees will face criminal and administrative sanctions if they are caught gambling online or in casinos.

Barua-Yap said the only prohibition is provided under an Executive Order issued a few years back which prevents government employees from entering gambling establishments during office hours. Obvious naman po, it’s office hours, bakit ka naman pupunta sa sugalan.

“This is really tricky. Kasi sa katotohanan po, sa lagay ng batas gambling is classified into two: illegal gambling, and those gambling establishments [allowed to legally operate] because they are licensed by the government. If a government employee enters a legal gambling establishment, and you did not engage in gambling during office hours, can we get into your space to prevent you and provide a ban on online gambling as an omnibus cover for all government employees?” Barua-Yap added.

She said that based on a CSC study, the middle ground would be encouraging every government agencies to implement guidelines “that will enable them to maintain a degree of efficiency and good conduct in their respective offices” and prevent any action that will “contribute to the erosion of public trust in the agency.”

“Ang problema lang po natin, ano ang ating legal cover for a comprehensive ban and all employees of government, all branches of government, [on engaging] in online gambling? I think I would probably recommend our study and we can provide inputs from our studies for the possibility of passing a law, a legislation in regard to the conduct of government employees,” she added.

PAGCOR, which issues licenses to land-based casinos and online gambling firms, told the House appropriations panel last week that its revenue from online gambling since 2021 to date is P155 billion.

“The growth of online gaming has been exponential, and for the first seven months of this year, PAGCOR’s income from online gaming increased by 32%. Ang nakikita ko po ngayong 2025, kung patuloy pong walang total ban, ang magiging revenue po mula sa online gaming will be at P60 billion to P62 billion,” PAGCOR chairperson Alejandro Tengco said.

Under the law, PAGCOR is required to remit 75% of its net income to the National Treasury for funding of various government programs.