- Casino
- By State
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Georgia
- Florida
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- By State
- Slots
- Poker
- Sports
- Esports
Philippines Pulls the Plug on E-Sabong with Presidential Approval

The Philippines has had a fraught relationship with e-sabong or online cockfighting which peaked during the pandemic and has been the source of many social ills ever since. Regardless of the infamous cases of kidnappings and some 36 people disappearing over the past year, authorities have been somewhat lackadaisical in their response and Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte has been reluctant to suspend the activity as it has been known to bring in a hefty penny back into the state coffers.
E-Sabong Comes Home to Roost
This is until now it appears, as the president announced on Monday during a regular address that e-sabong would be discontinued. For months now, Duterte has been up against a law, facing pressure to act on e-sabong, especially when the man prided himself as a hardliner on anything immoral, from drug trafficking to gambling.
Regardless, the president has gone with his gut instincts, especially now that PAGCOR, the country’s gambling regulator, has confirmed that the long-term outlook for the industry is good. The president has ultimately concluded that the PHP640 million ($12 million) e-sabong contributed to the tax office was not enough to justify the existence of e-sabong.
Duterte argued that while the collected tax was sufficient to justify the legalization of e-sabong “the stories he heard” made him reluctant to continue favoring e-sabong, even though authorities have started looking into the cases of kidnappings, and even established that police officers had been working with criminals to kidnap people associated with e-sabong in the first place.
The president is also following public sentiment with the lobby against e-sabong proving much stronger than anticipated. Some 62% have said that they would prefer if e-sabong was banned in the country. E-sabong was “working against our values,” the president explained on Monday. There have been many cases of people pawning possessions in order to play more, and in the shocking case of one woman, she even flogged off her baby to cover gambling debts.
Kidnappings, Gone Missing and More Crime around E-Sabong
The crime spate associated with e-sabong has been enough to prompt even the biggest skeptics to see how the activity was introduced too soon and without the necessary regulatory safeguards in place. Interior Secretary Eduardo Año welcomed the news and said that the president’s decision was reflective of what the country currently needed.
Año argued that the president had taken his time in deciding against e-sabong. The Philippines has been bent on cracking down on all illegal gambling operations in the country, and much of this was handed over to PAGCOR, the gambling regulator. PAGCOR was allowed to begin issuing e-sabong licenses back in 2021 and has since moved to POGOs, which are online gaming licenses that will now have to coexist with the recovering commercial sector.
Responding to the president’s announcement, PAGCOR cautioned consumers to refrain from participating in any form of unlicensed e-sabong gambling contests and stop visiting websites that offer such bets. Introducing the activity this quickly and pulling the plug on it abruptly is bound to leave a vacuum that opportunistic illegal gambling sites will try to fill in quickly, though.
Law enforcement and regulators will now have even more work to deal with as they seek to stamp out e-sabong crime.
Related Topics:
Although Fiona doesn't have a long-spanning background within the gambling industry, she is an incredibly skilled journalist who has built a strong interest in the constantly growing iGaming network. The team at Gambling News is glad to have her on our roster to help deliver the best stories as soon as they hit. Aside from writing, she loves to dabble in online casino games such as slots and roulette, both for her own enjoyment and also as research to better improve her understanding of the industry.
Must Read
Industry
August 28, 2025
Usman Khawaja Urges Ban on Gambling Ads in Sport
More Articles
Sports
September 3, 2025
Paddy Power Teams Up with the NFL in the UK and Ireland
Casino
September 3, 2025
PAGCOR Hacked, List of 560K Prohibited Individuals Impacted
Sports
September 3, 2025
Watchdogs Align Ad Rules for UK and Foreign Gambling Companies
Sports
September 3, 2025
2025 Enjoy Illinois 300 NASCAR Odds, Time, and Prediction
Casino
September 3, 2025
Dutch Gambling Licences to Require Operator Exit Plans
Industry
September 3, 2025
Illinois Bettors See New Fees as Sportsbooks React to Tax Law
Industry
September 2, 2025
Kazakhstan Could Criminalize Influencers Promoting Gambling Content
Casino
September 2, 2025
55% of Filipino Gamblers, Unaware of Risks Tied to Illegal Sites
Sports
September 2, 2025
Diego Lopes vs. Jean Silva Noche UFC 3 Odds, Time, and Prediction
Industry
September 2, 2025
Norsk Tipping Faces Penalty Due to Long-Running Lottery Mistake
Sports
September 2, 2025
Baseball Athletes Remain Suspended as MLB Gambling Probe Deepens
Sports
September 1, 2025
Bookmaker in Ohtani Gambling Scandal Sentenced to One Year in Prison