The Global Crackdown on Gambling Advertising, Including Affiliates and Influencers

Two new proposals surfaced within days of each other this month, one in the Philippines, one in Belarus. Both are aiming to sharply restrict gambling advertising and neither is happening in isolation.

This is part of a real, accelerating global pattern, and increasingly, the people writing these laws aren’t just targeting casino operators. They’re targeting affiliates and influencers directly.

Two new proposals, two different mechanisms, same underlying goal

The Philippines’ approach is sweeping and explicitly names the influencer economy. Filed August 26 by Cebu Representative Karen Hope Garcia, House Bill 10982, the “Online Gambling Advertising Prohibition Act of 2026”, would ban gambling marketing across every channel. This includes television, radio, billboards, social media, apps.

It explicitly extends to “content creators, celebrities, vloggers and affiliate marketers,” not ju...