WHAT DO THE FINDINGS SAY?
According to a 2024 study, Gen Z, and Millennials in the Philippines are motivated to gamble by personal habits, influence of others, enjoyment, willingness to try new things, low cost, and effort requirement, and available support.
In 2021, a study was conducted among Young Adult Filipinos. Most of the respondents were 21-25 years old, and were college students, and graduates. 45% were non-problem gamblers, while 43% are possibly problem gamblers.
Online gambling’s high popularity and success within the country began with Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs). Though operations started in 2003, the industry boomed from around 2016 to 2022 due to former President Duterte’s lax approach to internet gambling policies.
Despite online gambling contributing an estimated $500 million annually to the Philippine government, it also resulted in an influx of online gambling firms within the country.
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Today, online gambling remains a success not only because of its accessibility, but also its
high-risk, high-reward nature (Piquero, 2024). With the rise of online banking and e-wallets such as GCash and Maya, people can now easily deposit and withdraw money for their vices (Kho et al., 2024).
Online casinos and gambling games use predatory means of luring the general public in through various methods like encouraging them to deposit small amounts of money and social media and in-app advertisements.
Investment in advertising, promotion, and sponsorships are significantly related to the increase in the number of new and active accounts, as well as to deposits and the total money bet.
As gambling advertisements become increasingly sophisticated and pervasive, there is a growing concern about their lasting impact, particularly on those who are more susceptible to problem gambling.
As a way to address the ongoing issue and its increasing exposure to the masses, the researchers of this thesis developed multiple item listings, and supplementary posters designed to communicate the dangers of online gambling --- something that is not always visible in firms' promotional materials.