Asia

Philippine e-Sabong Operators Pay PAGCOR US$19.9M in 4 Months

Published

4 years ago

September 3, 2021

Niji Narayan

Reading Time: < 1 minute

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (PAGCOR) has collected PHP1bn (US$19.9m) in fees from licenced e-sabong (online cockfighting) operators since the industry became regulated in May.

The regulator has warned the public not to participate in cockfighting betting offered by illegal operators. It said it is cooperating with the National Police, the National Bureau of Investigation and the Ministry of Information Technology to crack down on illegal operators.

In May, PAGCOR announced that two licensed e-sabong operators started to operate. In June, it approved two more applications.

PAGCOR chairman Andrea Domingo said the maximum number of e-sabong licences would be 12. She said there were currently 12 applications pending, but that only 8 new entrants will be allowed to enter the market.

Domingo said PAGCOR chose to regulate e-sabong to eradicate illegal gambling and make up for lost revenue from its land-based casinos and online gaming companies, which have been hit hard by countermeasures to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. She predicted that licensed e-sabong operators in the Philippines could generate revenue of between PHP3bn to PHP3.5bn this year.

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Niji Narayan

Niji Narayan has been in the writing industry for well over a decade or so. He prides himself as one of the few survivors left in the world who have actually mastered the impossible art of copy editing. Niji graduated in Physics and obtained his Master’s degree in Communication and Journalism. He has always interested in sports writing and travel writing. He has written for numerous websites and his in-depth analytical articles top sports magazines like Cricket Today and Sports Today. He reports gaming industry headlines from all around the globe.