The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group of the National Capital Region of the Philippines raided a gymnasium in Tondo, Manila, on the evening of March 24, destroying a 24-hour illegal online cockfighting den and arresting 172 people on the spot. The police revealed that the den hosted about 500 cockfights daily, far exceeding the scale of legal cockfighting venues, profiting through online betting platforms with non-stop matches, "even if the gym is empty, it does not stop". Simply put, it uses chickens as props for non-stop gambling around the clock. Want to know the latest on Southeast Asian gambling law enforcement? Follow the PASA official website continuously.
500 daily matches: The crazy business of the non-stop illegal den
The head of CIDG NCR revealed that they had received reports as early as the end of last year and after months of investigation, they netted the den on the evening of the 24th. The den hosted about 500 cockfights daily, 200 more than the cockfighting venues operated by gambling tycoon A Tong Ang. Unlike traditional cockfights which require elimination rounds and last at least 30 minutes each, these matches were non-stop, completely relying on online platforms for making money. The police seized 45 computers and 3 tripod cameras among other core operational equipment, but have not yet applied for a network search warrant, so the amount of illegal profits is still uncertain. Local village officials claimed to know nothing about the den, and the police are collaborating with multiple departments to dig deeper into potentially bigger figures involved.
40 core personnel detained, A Tong Ang still at large
Of the 172 people arrested, 130 gamblers were released after recording their information, while the remaining 40 core staff members (including managers, cashiers, IT technicians, photographers, and cockfighting referees) have been detained, suspected of violating the "Cockfighting Law", "Illegal Gambling Punishment Law", and the "Cybercrime Prevention Act". The police also revealed that the gambling tycoon A Tong Ang, wanted for allegedly kidnapping and killing at least 34 cockfighting enthusiasts, is still at large, with 21 of his co-defendants already arrested. The police emphasized that the pursuit will not stop. It is noteworthy that while cracking down on illegal gambling, GLI recently obtained the first iGaming certification from PAGCOR, becoming a benchmark in the compliant gambling testing field, in stark contrast to the illegal den that was busted—under stricter regulation, compliance is the only way out for the industry. Want to know the latest on Philippine gambling regulation? Follow the PASA official website continuously.
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This article is from "PASA-Global iGaming Leaders", a gambling industry news channel: https://t.me/pasa_news
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