ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Potential revenue source? PCSO urged to study off-cockpit, in-cockpit betting; basketball 'ending'

Potential revenue source? PCSO urged to study off-cockpit, in-cockpit betting; basketball 'ending'

Published Aug 6, 2024 08:35 am

At A Glance

  • Deputy Speaker and Quezon 2nd district Rep. David "Jay-jay" Suarez ordered the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) to conduct a feasibility study on off-cockpit and in-cockpit betting as a potential revenue source for the government.

DCE94EE7-6A3B-4B38-9460-7218AD3A9517.jpeg(Pixabay)

Deputy Speaker and Quezon 2nd district Rep. David "Jay-jay" Suarez ordered the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) to conduct a feasibility study on off-cockpit and in-cockpit betting as a potential revenue source for the government.

During the budget deliberations of the House Committee on Appropriations on Tuesday, August 6, Suarez said legalizing these forms of cockfight betting would counter the proliferation of illegal online sabong (cockfighting).

“One thing we need to accept is, number one, it’s happening. But the problem is, the government is not earning because they’re operating illegally,” he said.

With the feasibility study, he said lawmakers would see the potential revenue the government can earn if off-cockpit and in-cockpit betting are properly regulated by the appropriate government agency.

Betting on such games are done without online access, he said.

According to PCSO Chairman Felix Reyes, there is still no law that would mandate a specific agency to oversee such form of betting.

“Is it Pagcor (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation)? Kasi kung online it’s really Pagcor. O ang PCSO? Kasi mayroon kaming kasanayan ng pagbebenta o pag-entertain ng taya dahil nga po mayroon kaming lotto,” said Reyes.

(Is it Pagcor? Because if it's online, it's really Pagcor. Or the PCSO? Because we have the practice of selling or entertaining bets because we have a lottery.)

Following the ban on Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) set by President Marcos, Suarez said off-cockpit and in-cockpit betting can also help address the loss in government revenue from this industry.

Based on estimates from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), the government will lose around P10 billion because of the POGO ban.

Additionally, it is estimated that more than 20,000 Filipino POGO workers would be displaced.

“It is a possibility that we can also earn revenue if we can put the necessary safeguards and safety nets,” noted Suarez.

“So matanggal na natin iyong social cost at the same time ay may revenue sa gobyerno at mapapalaki pa po natin iyong industriya,” he added, referring to the anomalous activities linked to POGOs.

(So we can remove the social cost and at the same time there will be revenue for the government and we will be able to expand the industry.)

Suarez, a vice chairperson of the panel, said the PCSO should also consider studying the basketball "ending" betting game which is similarly unregulated.

“If you can properly regulate this, put it within proper guidelines, government regulations, this is another venue for the PCSO to earn income,” the lawmaker continued.

Related Tags

cockfight betting PCSO ILLEGAL GAMBLING David Suarez
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.