Gambling is deeply part of the Filipino culture, dating back from betting on cockfights in the 1500s up to the present with horse racing, lottery, and casinos.
Male teenagers play basketball in urban street corners and town plazas with bottles of soda as their bet. During wakes, friends and family members play cards or mahjong to keep a 24-hour vigil. It is part of Filipino beliefs that people must stay awake to guard the dead from bad spirits, thus the gambling practice. Over the years, such traditions in Filipino wakes have been abused, resulting in prolonged gambling such as ‘sakla’ and card games, prompting the Philippine National Police (PNP) to issue regulations.
Digital acceleration and government regulatory controls have made online betting more innovative and accessible to Filipinos, fueling the Php200 billion-a-year gambling industry in the country.
So, who are the biggest gamers in the digital space, and how frequently do they bet online?
A nationwide study conducted by Capstone-Intel Corporation, a research and intelligence agency, showed that online betting is fast becoming popular among Filipinos, cutting across ages, gender, and economic status. E-casino (26 percent) and online bingo (26 percent) both topped the list of the most popular online betting sites, followed by gaming (24 percent). Also, online betting players in the 66–70 age group admit to playing only E-sabong and e-casino.
It also cited that more than a third (38 percent) of the respondents who have engaged in online betting accessed the eGames website, followed by OKBet (25 percent), Bet88 (24 percent), and eSports Bet (20 percent).
The study has 1,200 respondents, both male and female, who said that they are aware of online betting. Of these respondents, 64 percent admitted that they engaged in online betting, and more than half of them are males.
Northern Mindanao has the largest number of online betting players, with 78 percent of respondents from the province engaging in online betting, followed by MIMAROPA with 72 percent of online bettors, and SOCCSKSARGEN provinces in the third rank with 70 percent.
The study showed that close to 30 percent of those who engaged in online betting do it two to three times a week, while the rest do it either once a week or once a month.
Trying their luck (39 percent), and getting easy money (32 percent), are the primary motivations of Filipinos for engaging in online betting, according to the study.
Younger respondents (18–20 years old) said they bet online to get easy money, while most of the older respondents, especially those aged 46 and above, are betting online to try their luck.
“The fatalistic attitude is still very present in many Filipinos who rely on luck to get money,” said Eero Brillantes, CEO and President of Capstone-Intel Corporation. He said gambling is a way of life for many Filipinos because of the “Bahala na” attitude.
Brillantes said the study seeks to analyze the online betting culture in the country, especially the perception, awareness, and practices of online betting.
The study showed older respondents, ages 66–70, are the biggest spenders, placing up to P10,000 per bet, while the rest of the younger gamers (64 percent) spend less than P1,000 in online betting.
“This study is useful to both private online betting firms in developing innovative, more secure, and fun games with targeted populations, as well as to government agencies to implement measures to be able to secure the digital gambling space and benefit better from the revenues,” said Brillantes.
Across all age groups, the highest number of respondents (33 percent) play online betting games two to three times a week, while the rest play once a week and once a month.
High prizes (45 percent) and low betting costs (34 percent) encourage people to participate in online betting, along with more freebies and benefits (25 percent), the study stated.
The study reveals that respondents with a salary of less than Php20,000 are among the largest online gamers (51 percent), those aged 18–20 and 61–65 years old.
Among the advantages of online betting, according to respondents, are that it provides additional income (46 percent), easy money (50 percent), fun (43 percent), and convenience (41 percent).
Winners and losers?
The majority of online betting players admit that their streak is around breakeven. In terms of winning, there are more males (29 percent) compared with females (22 percent) who claim that they are net winners.
Age and gender are also factors in terms of taking risks in online betting. The study showed that a huge number of young online betting players (24 percent) aged 18–20 years old bet online once a month, while those aged 51–55 years old (53 percent) and 56–60 years old (44 percent) bet online up to three times a week.
In terms of sex, the majority of male respondents (32 percent) engage in online betting two to three times a week, while there is a mix of female respondents (27 percent) who bet once a month, and those females (26 percent) who engage in online betting two to three times a week.
Ella Kristina Domingo, Research Director of Capstone Intel Corp. said, “Women, even those who are engaged in online betting tend to be more conservative in spending because they earn less than their male counterparts.”
“This is reflected in the behavior of more female online bettors at 78 percent or respondents who spend less than Php1,000 per game, compared with their male counterparts at 61 percent,” said Coronel.
The study also showed that at least 61 percent of respondents hooked on online betting have tried traditional gambling.
Among the traditional gambling played by respondents are lotto (64 percent), followed by Bingo (62 percent), small town lottery (42 percent), and scratch and match (40 percent). These respondents also admitted that they have tried casino games (19 percent) and mahjong (12 percent).
Metro Manila has the highest number of respondents (67 percent) engaged in traditional gambling across regions, followed by Region X (66 percent), Region VI (66 percent), and Region VII (65 percent), while the Cordillera Autonomous Region has the lowest percentage of traditional gambling at 45 percent.
The Philippine government is on track to get the full benefits from the multi-billion-peso industry with the implementation of Republic Act 11223 or Universal Health Care (UHC). The law, which was enacted in February 2019, will be funded by the income from online betting and other gaming revenues under the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), as well as the 40 percent charity fund from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).
The UHC automatically enrolls all Filipinos, including overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), in the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to benefit from the expanded Konsulta benefit package, which includes free consultation, laboratory, and diagnostic services, as well as medicines.
“The online betting industry in the Philippines is very promising in terms of job generation and charity opportunities,” said Domingo-Coronel. She added that “we hope to see more winners in terms of investments in the sector as well as more efficient use of the revenues for the health and social welfare of Filipinos.”
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