Sabong, the placing of bets on live cockfighting, is an established tradition in the Philippines, with many residents of the country now turning to E-Sabong, the online version of the pastime.
Noticing a recent rise in E-Sabong activity, regulator PAGCOR has reminded players to gamble responsibly.
“Sabong being closely intertwined with our culture is presently gaining popularity as an online gaming activity among Filipino,” said PAGCOR. “Gaming responsibly is when a player only bets with money that he or she can afford to lose, making sure that money allocated for daily sustenance and for the family is not used.
“Avoid playing when feeling depressed or upset, and never encourage persons below 21 years of age to participate in gambling,” added PAGCOR.
The rise in E-Sabong betting mobile apps and websites can be linked to various quarantine restrictions being imposed all over the country. PAGCOR is now calling on the public to be wary of unlicensed E-Sabong operators and unregistered E-Sabong websites.
A list of licensed E-Sabong operators can be found on the PAGCOR website, with the regulator working with the Philippine National Police, National Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Information and Technology in a bid to shut down illegal sites.
“Without regulation, E-Sabong will proliferate and have far-reaching detrimental effects on its players,” PAGCOR noted.
