By South China Morning Post | Created at 2026-06-11 08:37:07 | Updated at 2026-06-12 05:29:29
21 hours ago
The Philippines may be taking steps to curb gambling addiction, but for Bridges of Hope founder and director Jon Ty, the number of helpline calls that he has received over the past year tells a different story.
Such calls to the rehabilitation centre’s hotline were mostly related to gambling, with the number rising to nine out of 10 total calls so far this year from seven out of 10 in 2025, Ty said.
Many of the callers were desperate family members reaching out because their loved ones were gambling addicts. Compounding the problem, many gamblers have also resorted to drinking and suffer from other disorders, according to Ty.
“Unlike drugs and alcohol, where you see one person deteriorating, gambling affects everybody. Tuition doesn’t get paid. Bills are left unpaid. Jobs are lost. The spouse leaves. It really breaks the whole family unit apart.”
To cope with the heavier workload, Bridges of Hope has increased the number of rehabilitation centres to 16 currently from 13 in 2025, with plans to add three later this year.
Reagan Praferosa, director of Recovering Gamblers of the Philippines, said the support group’s helpline had been using AI to cope with a surge in helpline calls, which had risen to 30 per day from 20 daily last year. In particular, the group is allocating more resources to handle calls in the wee hours.
“As former gamblers, we know that’s when people lose the most. It’s the hour of desperation,” Praferosa said.
