President Rodrigo Duterte said on Tuesday, March 29, that he did not halt e-sabong, or online cockfighting, because the government earns P640 million from it every month. He made the statement during a public address aired late that night, according to a report published March 301.
"You might suspect me of something because I did not stop it. I did not stop it because the government needs the money from e-sabong," Duterte said1. He put the monthly figure on the record and projected it would grow.
"I make it public now, it's 640 million a month. In years time, it's billions plus. Saan tayo mag hahanap ng ganoong pera na kadali?"
The disclosure followed a Malacañang memorandum dated March 8 stating that operations of e-sabong licensees not being investigated for violations can continue while police and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) conduct a probe into breaches of e-sabong agreements1. The memorandum responded to Senate Resolution No. 996, in which senators urged Malacañang to order the suspension of online cockfighting while the disappearances of some e-sabong players had yet to be solved1. Senator Ronald dela Rosa, an ally of Duterte, had also pushed for a stop to operations1.
Malacañang ordered the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation to conduct a "thorough investigation" into the disappearance of at least 34 e-sabong players and to submit reports on the probe to the Office of the President "within 30 days from the issuance of this order"1.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Monthly government earnings cited | P640 million1 |
| Memorandum allowing continued operations | Dated March 81 |
| Players under investigation as missing | At least 341 |
| Report deadline to Office of the President | Within 30 days of the order1 |
What it means for players
E-sabong licensees that are not under investigation for violations can keep operating, under the March 8 memorandum1. That means the platforms themselves remain available while the PNP and PAGCOR probe breaches of e-sabong agreements1. The status of any individual licensee named in an investigation has not been reported. The disappearances of at least 34 e-sabong players remain the subject of a police and NBI investigation ordered by Malacañang1; no findings from that probe have been reported. For background on how the game works and where it sits legally, see E-Sabong: Online Cockfight Betting and Its Legal Status and Sabong: Cockfight Betting in the Philippines. General licensing and venue rules for the country are covered in Can I Gamble in the Philippines?, and e-sabong sits alongside other regional games in Asian Gambling Games.
What happens next
The PNP and NBI were ordered to submit reports on the disappearance investigation to the Office of the President within 30 days of the order1. The memorandum allows operations of e-sabong licensees not under investigation to continue while the PAGCOR and police probe into breaches of e-sabong agreements proceeds1. No date has been reported for when that probe will conclude, and no outcome of the Senate push for a suspension has been reported beyond the March 8 memorandum1.
