NBI goes after online sabong in Tarlac

Agents of the National Bureau of Investigation went after the operators of an online cockfight (sabong) in Tarlac, a report of Bam Alegre for Unang Balita on Tuesday said.

Authorities confiscated the operators' equipment, including webcams and computers.

Although cockfights are conducted legally at New Tarlac Coliseum, operators were found to be recording fights and uploading and broadcasting these on the Internet for the benefit of bettors in other areas.

Bets ranged from as little as P200 to as high as several thousand pesos, the report said.

The Anti-Cybercrime Law prohibits the use of the cockfight video for business, the report said, especially since no permits were issued for the websites. 

The NBI said the usual modus of online sabong websites is to close the site once bets reach a ceiling amount, and just open a new website to accommodate other bets.

Out of more than 20 online sabong websites identified, six were found to have been operating inside the New Tarlac Coliseum.

Authorities warned those behind the online cockfighting websites that they will continue to hunt them down, especially those in Northern Luzon where these websites operate openly, the report said. —KG/TJD, GMA News