7 illegal e-sabong sites started ops after Duterte issued ban —DILG

The seven e-sabong sites operating despite the ban do not have franchise from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said Thursday.

“Ang nangyari noong ipinagbawal ng ating Pangulo ang e-sabong, nagsara naman yung mga PAGCOR-franchised e-sabong operators at pumasok itong mga illegal na e-sabong operations,” DILG spokesperson Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya told GTV’s Balitanghali.

(What happened was when our President banned e-sabong, PAGCOR-franchised operators really closed their operations and these illegal e-sabong operations come in.)

“Na-identify na po namin itong pito, pitong websites na operating illegally (We already identified these seven illegal websites operating illegally),” he added.

He said DILG Secretary Edurado Año directed the Philippine National Police (PNP) Directorate for Operations and Anti-Cybercrime Group to conduct an investigation.

Año also coordinated with the National Bureau of Investigation regarding the matter, he added.

On Wednesday, PNP spokesperson  Police Colonel Jean Fajardo said the cybercrime units are working on case buildup against the identified illegal e-sabong sites.

According to her, they already requested social media providers to take down the concerned sites, which may take around two weeks.

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.—AOL, GMA News