GCash, Maya to droop gaming entry beginning Aug. 16

MANILA, Philippines—Access to on-line gaming via e-wallet platforms GCash and Maya will likely be suspended beginning 8 p.m. Saturday, August 16.

GCash introduced the transfer Thursday night, saying it will fully comply with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) directive to droop in-app gaming entry in cellular fee apps and web sites.

According to the corporate, customers might withdraw funds from their gaming accounts again to their GCash wallets via GLife solely earlier than the suspension takes impact.

“After this, users who have remaining funds can only access this directly through the gaming merchant’s website,” it stated.

Maya, in a separate advisory, stated it will additionally disable entry to gaming websites and apps via its Games characteristic on the identical time in compliance with the BSP order.

Customers might withdraw remaining funds from linked gaming accounts again to their Maya Wallet through the Games characteristic earlier than the deadline. After that, withdrawals could also be executed solely via the gaming supplier’s web site or app.

“We will always safeguard our customers and ensure uninterrupted availability of all our financial services,” Maya stated. “Maya will continue working closely with regulators and industry partners to uphold the highest standards of consumer protection and full compliance with all regulations.”

BSP Deputy Governor Mamerto Tangonan informed the Senate committee on video games and amusement earlier Thursday that e-wallet platforms have been particularly ordered to take away in-app options selling or permitting customers to entry e-gambling websites inside 48 hours.

Covered by the directive are e-wallets, banks (via their fee apps and web sites), and different supervised entities. The nation’s greatest e-wallets are GCash, owned by Globe Telecom, and Maya, previously PayMaya, which additionally operates as a BSP-supervised digital financial institution.

GCash stated it helps “adopting stronger safeguards on online gaming” and can proceed to work with regulators and business companions “to protect the financial health of Filipinos.”

Some senators questioned the 48-hour grace interval, urgent for fast removing of the hyperlinks. Tangonan stated the grace interval would enable e-wallets to take away the hyperlinks and provides shoppers time to withdraw their gaming funds.

Committee chair Sen. Erwin Tulfo warned he would cite the BSP in contempt if the hyperlinks remained past Saturday.

The suspension will stay in impact till the BSP finalizes its coverage on on-line playing fee providers.

The BSP stated it’s crafting tighter fee laws to curb playing habit, together with enhanced id verification, every day transaction limits, time-based restrictions, and person instruments for setting spending caps or taking voluntary breaks from playing.

Separately, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. has ordered the removing of all out of doors ads for on-line gaming platforms.

Pagcor reported that the nation’s gaming business earned P214.75 billion in gross gaming revenues within the first half of 2025, with the digital video games sector accounting for greater than half.

Several senators have known as for a total ban on online gambling, citing habit and different damaging results on Filipinos. /dm

With experiences from Charie Abarca, Ian Nicolas P. Cigaral and Inquirer Research