E-sabong halt spells P5B-P6B revenue loss (Sabong News)

PRESIDENT Duterte’s decision to halt electronic cockfighting or e-sabong operations in the country will bleed the government of P5 billion to P6 billion in revenues this year, state-run Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) said. Given this, Pagcor is now expecting P50 billion to P60 billion in gross gaming revenues this year from its previous estimate of P60 billion to P65 billion. Though downscaled, the new projected level of gross gaming revenues is almost double its gross gaming revenues in 2021, when pandemic lockdowns curbed gaming operations, at P32.63 billion. Pagcor Chairman Andrea Domingo on Tuesday said they have to implement the President’s decision immediately. “The Executive Secretary will issue a formal memorandum to this effect and we will serve the appropriate notice to the Pagcor regulated e-sabong operators. We will also inform the COA [Commission on Audit] Auditor officially that starting today, there will no longer be revenues collected from e-sabong operations,” Domingo said in a message to the BusinessMirror. Sought how the stop of e-sabong operations will affect their projected gross gaming revenues, Domingo said: “It would probably be P5B to P6B less.” Last week, Domingo said in a virtual forum that they are expecting better gaming revenues this year on the back of the resumption of games following the easing of restrictions to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. As of April 25, the Pagcor chief said they have already collected between P16 billion and P17 billion, of which P1.8 billion came from e-sabong operations. To recall, Duterte in March cautioned lawmakers against calling for the suspension of e-sabong operations, as he lamented that this would cost the government billions of revenues and lead to an increase in illegal activities. Several lawmakers called for the suspension of e-sabong operations following the disappearance of 34 people linked to e-sabong. During his public address late Monday,   but aired the following day, Duterte said he decided to implement the recommendation of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to “end” e-sabong activities. “The recommendation of Secretary [Eduardo] Año is to do away with e-sabong. He cited the validation report coming from all sources,” Duterte said. “So it is his recommendation and I agree with it. And it is good.” He said the new policy will take effect once he issuance for its implementation is released by tomorrow. DILG conducted a survey after Duterte order a study done to determine the social impact of e-sabong. Among its findings is the gambling activity worked against the values of Filipinos. “But I have been hearing things about it. Loud and very clear to me that it was working against our values,” Duterte said. “This was studied by Secretary Año,” he added. Duterte said the allowed regulation of e-sabong through the  Pagcor since it generated P640 million worth of government revenue per month. But e-sabong drew controversy  after several  cockfighting enthusiasts linked to the activity went missing this year.  That number has since risen to 34, according to Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, citing police and NBI reports. Dela Rosa heads the Senate Committee on Public Order. The mass abductions prompted lawmakers to conduct several hearings on e-sabong and call for its abolition. Pagcor warned that even if the government bans e-sabong, the activity will still continue, albeit illegally. It noted it will also lead to a significant revenue loss for the government amid the pandemic when it needs additional budget. During the first quarter of the year, e-sabong gave the government P1.7 billion worth of earnings, according to Pagcor.