EDITORIAL - E-sabong continues

Even as e-sabong operations have been declared illegal, it seems some people are bent on making money from it.

The National Bureau of Investigation recently busted a cockfighting operation in Barangay Calajoan, Minglanilla Town, that also served as an online gambling business.

From reports, it seems the operation was well-organized; the group had computer sets and other types of electronics and was allegedly streaming cockfights live online. Thirty-nine individuals were arrested and bet money worth ?2.7 million was also seized.

We already mentioned the ills of gambling. It’s true that gambling has some part to play in producing revenue for the government and providing entertainment to some people who prefer a certain type of thrill. But this usually only happens in established casinos whose operations are regulated by the government and whose earnings are tracked.

When you make gambling free for all, like what happens in e-sabong, you are practically inviting anyone anywhere to bet without limits or restrictions. While this is actually convenient for the bettor and the organizer this will have consequences, especially among those who may appear to be risking just a little money but are actually gambling away most of their wealth.

Like said earlier, the ill effects rarely stop with one person. They affect the family of the gambling addict and also impact on the community. And where money is concerned, which is usually the case with gambling, emotions can run high and conflicts form even among the closest of relatives or neighbors.

Philippine Online Gaming Operations are already giving our government a headache with their alleged involvement in kidnapping. We don’t need other forms of clandestine online gambling operations to add to our problems.

Considering how cheap and easy it is to set up an online operation, we are sure there are others out there who are also running the same operation. The lechon manok mentality --where one successful business model is eventually copied by others-- may also apply to online cockfighting operations.

Needless to say, they need to be found and busted.