Despite a nationwide ban, online cockfighting, or e-sabong, continues to be widely available on unregulated gambling platforms, according to a new study from The Fourth Wall, a Filipino-focused sociocultural research firm.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. issued Executive Order 9 in December 2022, which suspended all e-sabong operations but the study — released Wednesday — found that unregulated sites continue to host e-sabong events and actively promote the game on social media, particularly on Facebook.
The report examined key operational areas of both regulated and unregulated online gaming sites, highlighting how unregulated platforms operate without the consumer protections and strict protocols mandated by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).
“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,” said John Brylle L. Bae, research director at The Fourth Wall.
Bae’s comment was made after a congressman was recently filmed watching an e-sabong livestream just before the State of the Nation Address in July.
The study also found significant differences between regulated and unregulated platforms. Unregulated sites offer an average of about 5,000 games, 72 percent more than the 2,900 games offered on regulated platforms.
Unlike regulated sites, which must get PAGCOR approval and third-party auditing, unregulated sites release games without verification, exposing players to potentially manipulated content.
The report also cited a lack of player verification on unregulated platforms, with some sites only requiring a phone number or email to register. This lack of oversight has led to minors participating in online gambling and cases of debt, fraud and privacy issues from spam texts, the study said.
Additionally, regulated platforms have transaction caps to comply with anti-money laundering policies, while unregulated sites have no such limits, which can lead to excessive losses for players.
Unregulated operators also offer highly lucrative affiliate programs, with some offering up to 65 percent of Gross Gaming Revenue to attract agents, compared to the 30 percent to 40 percent typically offered by regulated platforms.