E-Sabong Continues to Be a Driver of Online Gambling in the Philippines

E-sabong may be alive and well in the Philippines, despite a nationwide ban that was issued by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr in 2022. The ban followed a number of controversies, including the disappearance of 34 workers involved in the organization of such games.

Ban on E-Sabong Contests Fails to Curb the Activity

They are presumed dead, and some of the country’s richest people have been accused of having a hand to play in the illegal contests, if not the disappearances themselves. Now, a new study by research firm The Fourth Wall suggests that illegal gambling websites are hosting their own e-sabong games.

To circulate events, these platforms use private social media groups and messaging, the firm explains, as there is substantial interest in the games, and no supply outside of the illegally hosted games.  

Commenting on the results, The Fourth Wall Research Director Brylle L. Bae had this to say:

“Our latest report demonstrates how prohibited games like e-sabong remain easily accessible on unregulated platforms even to high-profile figures, underscoring persistent enforcement challenges.”

The study also took a look at how legal online gambling compares to illegal gambling. In a previous survey, the Philippines was said to be losing 50% of its gambling revenue to offshore gambling operators.

The new analysis by The Fourth Wall focused on other metrics as well. For example, the survey found that illegal gambling platforms offered 72% more games on average than regulated platforms, mostly because of a failure to secure the necessary approval from the regulator, PAGCOR, to introduce these new games.

“Our report shows that the operational differences between regulated and unregulated platforms do not just define how platforms function but also shape the risks and potential harms players face, especially in unregulated spaces,” Bae cautioned.

Online Gambling Is Having Issues of Its Own

These comments come at a time when the Philippines is debating a complete ban on online gambling, which has rallied operators to form an independent trade group championing safer gambling and stronger player protection measures.

President Marcos Jr is reluctant to issue a complete ban against the sector as he did in the case of Philippine Offshore Gambling Operators and e-sabong, however. The proliferation of black-market operations in both e-sabong and eGames could also serve as another argument that prohibition is not an efficient regulation tool.