It is illegal to start online sabong this year, do you want to know why?
“Sabong” or the placing of bets on live online sabong is an established tradition
in the Philippines that dates as early as three thousand (3,000) years ago.
The gaming activity is essentially placing two roosters/cocks in an arena
and betting on which between the two comes out victorious. Regulation of live cockfighting
in cockpit arenas is regulated by the Local Government Unit concerned. On the other hand,
regulation of online sabong or eSabong is regulated by the Philippine Amusement
and Gaming Corporation pursuant to the PAGCOR Charter which fact was clarified
by the Office of the Solicitor General and the Department of Justice.
eSabong is defined as the online/remote or off-site wagering/betting
on live cockfighting matches, events, and/or activities streamed or
broadcasted live from cockpit arena/s licensed or authorized by the Local Government Units having jurisdiction thereof.
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation’s E-Sabong regulatory function
is undertaken primarily by the E-Sabong Licensing Department (ESLD).
This includes the development of the regulatory framework, processing of applications,
issuance of licenses to conduct E-Sabong operations, and other related tasks.
Continuing e-sabong operations now ‘illegal,’ DILG warns
BAD FOR BUSINESS “E-sabong” stations like this in Paco, Manila,
may now have to close shop because of President Duterte’s order issued on Tuesday.
The high-revenue gaming sector has drawn intense scrutiny, including a congressional investigation,
following the disappearance of more than 30 persons involved in e-sabong and whose cases remain unsolved. —MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
MANILA, Philippines — Violators of the directive to halt the operations of e-sabong
will face arrest and risk being charged in court, the Department of the Interior
and Local Government (DILG) said Wednesday following the declaration of the online cockfight games to be illegal.
“Continuing to operate e-sabong at this time would be illegal.
Those who continue to defy the suspension can face arrest and can be charged in court,”
DILG Undersecretary and spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said in an ANC interview.
President Rodrigo Duterte recently ordered to stop online sabong operations
upon the recommendation of DILG Secretary Eduardo Año, citing its social cost to Filipinos.
“It should end today…when the President made his announcement that
to us is already a presidential directive because it was made in a public statement,” Malaya said.
Duterte stops e-sabong operations online sabong
PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte said on Monday he will order the termination of
online cockfighting operations in the Philippines, after earlier flaunting
the hundreds of millions of pesos in government revenues generated from these games.
At the Cabinet meeting televised on Tuesday morning,
Mr. Duterte said his order was based on the recommendation of Interior Secretary Eduardo M. Año,
who was tasked to do a survey on the social costs of online cockfighting, also known as “e-sabong.”
“The recommendation of Secretary Año is to do away with e-sabong online sabong
and he cited the validation report coming from all sources,” he said.
“So it’s his recommendation and I agree with it, it’s good, so e-sabong will end.”
Mr. Duterte’s sudden decision to stop online cockfighting operations might online sabong
force operators and their workers to go underground, according to policy analysts. online sabong
Stopping e-sabong operations abruptly without providing a clear strategic roadmap online sabong
for affected sectors would likely force small-time operators and their workers to operate illegally,online sabong
said John Paolo R. Rivera, an economist at the Asian Institute of Management.online sabong
“Just like the other gambling operations suspended,online sabong
this latest decision might temporarily fail to totally disenfranchise operations,”
he said in a Viber message.online sabong
“Other operators may continue operating underground…The unintended consequences of this sudden decision would kick in.”
Jefferson A. Arapoc, an economist at the University of the Philippines (UP) Los Baños,
said underground e-sabong operations are expected to flourish as the government
has shown it is unable to regulate online activities such as scams and sex trafficking.
“The Duterte administration’s order to stop e-sabong operations would depend
on the government’s capability to implement it,” he said. “His decision could have done
more damage than good — imagine the government losing revenues while e-sabong continues to thrive in the underground economy.”
Mr. Duterte previously refused to suspend e-sabong because of the revenues it
generates for the government, which saw its budget deficit widen during the pandemic.