AT least five more websites and eight social media pages operating e-sabong on online cockfighting have been discovered by authorities despite the government ban.
The report said the websites and social media pages were uncovered in addition to the seven e-sabong sites initially reported.
The Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group said their investigations had to go through hurdles to intercept the websites.
“Out of this 12, 10 are offshore, overseas, so they are not registered in the Philippines. The two that are registered in the Philippines have administrators and operators. But because of anonymity, they are not known,” PNP-ACG spokesperson Police Lieutenant Michelle Sabino said in a mix of Filipino and English.
Meanwhile, the eight Facebook pages were used to promote e-sabong on social media.
“This is the recruitment avenue of bettors. The bettors will communicate with the administrators of the Facebook page and then the administrator will give them a link for them to download,” Sabino said.
The Facebook pages for e-sabong are accessible to anyone, including children.
Cryptocurrency is used in betting for e-sabong to be dissimulated and untraceable by authorities.
“There is no specific registration of names, just like with Bitcoin, those were operated by numbers. Once bettors want to disengage, they can always cash out anytime through third party exchanges,” Sabino said.
The PNP reported the websites and social media pages to the InterAgency Task Force and other concerned agencies, including the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).
The PNP warned that bettors will be arrested and could be charged with violation of anti-illegal gambling law (PD 449).
Following the reports on 34 sabungeros who went missing, President Rodrigo Duterte earlier approved the recommendation of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to stop e-sabong.
Duterte’s decision came following a survey conducted by the DILG in cities and provinces regarding e-sabong operations, which is being blamed for the deterioration of moral values among many Filipinos.
