DICT: ‘E-sabong’ still around despite ban

ONLINE SABONG COMPOSITE IMAGE FROM INQUIRER FILES

MANILA, Philippines — Around 52,847 online cockfight betting or “e-sabong” sites were taken down from 2023 until this year, according to the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).

During a House committee on human rights hearing on Wednesday, DICT Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center Director Alvin Navarro said in 2023 when e-sabong was at its peak, they took down 43,984 sites, followed by 4,914 in 2024, and 3,949 so far this year.

READ: E-sabong continues to thrive on illegal gaming platforms – study

Although the DICT observed a decrease in the number of e-sabong sites, Navarro noted the emergence of new sites, payment options, platform leakages and hard-to-detect referral groups.

Despite a ban imposed in 2022, a study released this month said that e-sabong remains active on unregulated gambling platforms. —Faith Argosino