Who Regulates Betting On Sabong In The Philippines? (Sabong Arena)
Genre
Online Sabong
Keywords
Betting On Sabong
Article ID
00000742
In the Philippines, Sabong is regulated by the Games and Amusement Board as commissioned by Executive Order 149 put into effect in 1993. The regulations set forth by EO 149 enforce strict rules and regulations to be considered legal under the Philippine gambling law. Bookies must obtain a government license to accept bets at cockpits and are subject to inspection from the GAB.
Once licensed a bookie can accept legal bets at the cockpits and offer many different types of bets on the event. Since there are so many illegal cockfights, the government has put the responsibility on local barangay officials to combat those illegal operations. In some cases, barangay officials have been arrested for not enforcing laws on illegal cockpits.
e-Sabong Betting – OTB Sabong
Horse racing bettors are familiar with offtrack betting (OTB) kiosks, where they can wager on races away from the actual racing venue. The same is available for Sabong, which is called e-Sabong in the Philippines. This lets bettors put money on cockfights without being at the actual cockpit, but it exists in a legal gray area.
While PAGCOR has been ruled to have oversight of Sabong and the legal authority to institute e-Sabong throughout the Philippines, the government gaming regulator has so far chosen not to, as remote Sabong betting is controversial. Indeed, in 2019, HB 8910 was passed through the Philippine Congress nearly unanimously. This bill would eliminate e-Sabong altogether, but it has not yet been signed into law.
Source: legalsportsbetting.ph
