GCash and Maya: Digital Wallets or Digital Casinos?

In the Philippines, financial apps like GCash and Maya have become household names. They’ve made life simpler, especially for people without bank accounts. Sending money, paying bills, buying load, everything happens with just a few swipes. But lately, something unexpected has been showing up in these apps: gambling.

Yes, the same app you use to pay your water bill now lets you play slot machines or bet on card games.

And the worst part? Most users never see it coming.

Financial Tools or Gambling Platforms?

If you’ve never clicked around in GCash’s “GLife” or “GCash Play” sections, you might not know that these areas now feature multiple gambling services. No need to download a separate app or visit a casino site. It’s right there, next to your savings tracker and payment options.

For developers, it might look like innovation. But for others, especially those who are vulnerable, like low-income earners or young users, it’s an invisible trap.

There are no neon signs or warnings. Just quiet access to games of chance. It feels harmless, even fun, until someone ends up borrowing money just to recover what they lost.

A Convenient Problem

Over the last few years, GCash and Maya have handed out billions in loans. GCash’s lending arm, Fuse, has loaned out more than ₱155 billion to over 7 million users. Maya is close behind. While these loans are meant to support everyday needs, they can just as easily fuel impulsive gambling.

This problem is bigger than just casual entertainment. Addiction support groups have reported more people seeking help, many of them women who started playing to relieve stress or boredom. What begins as a distraction can spiral into something more serious, especially with easy access to borrowed cash.

And Yet, No One’s Talking About It

Despite the rising concern, there hasn’t been much noise from regulators. Some insiders in GCash, Maya, and even the banking sector have quietly admitted they’re uneasy about the gambling features, but no one’s taking public action.

Even the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), which is supposed to protect consumers under the law, has yet to address the issue head-on. Complaints have been raised, but most end up going nowhere.

Meanwhile, online gambling revenue in the Philippines is exploding. PAGCOR reports show a 165% jump in earnings from e-games and e-bingo in just one year, from ₱58 billion to over ₱154 billion.

When Kids Start Gambling

Here’s where things get more alarming. These apps aren’t just being used by adults. In one reported case, a Grade 10 student was able to open a live casino game through the GCash app in just seconds. No password prompt. No age restriction. Just instant access.

And this might not be a rare occurrence. A recent study found that a staggering 43% of young Filipino adults (ages 21–25) are likely problem gamblers. Another 12% are already heading in that direction.

These apps are slowly teaching young people that gambling is just another part of financial life, right up there with budgeting and paying bills. It’s normalization in real-time.

What Can Be Done?

If we want to protect people, especially kids and those with limited means, we need to rethink how gambling fits into fintech platforms. One possible solution? Separate the services completely. Keep financial tools like lending and payments in one app, and move gambling to another, clearly labeled and regulated one.

Adding safety features like betting limits or warning pop-ups might help, but even those don’t solve the core problem: it shouldn’t be this easy to gamble through your bank app.

This isn’t about being anti-gambling. It’s about putting people first, especially those who don’t have much to begin with. Apps that were built to help should never become the reason someone falls into deeper financial trouble.

We need to ask better questions. And we need real answers, not just silence from those who should be speaking up.

(via Jon Lim)