This fact is further supported by a court decision in 2012 that found that there are no provisions in the Presidential Decree or any other gambling law in the Philippines that make it illegal for residents to place bets online. Locally operated, government-licensed online casinos in the Philippines are prohibited from offering their services to Filipino citizens, requiring players to go to offshore sites. Filipino players can legally participate in online casino entertainment as long as the destination where they are playing is located and controlled outside the Philippines. Filipino gambling laws do not prohibit players from participating in legally licensed and regulated offshore Internet gambling.
Gambling is huge in the Philippines. “Gambling is not a sin,” a government official said. "Even priests and nuns go to casinos and ask for work for their parishioners." Gambling in the Philippines is generally restricted by government laws. Illegal forms of gambling include jueteng, masiao and the last two. There is no specific law that prohibits online gambling, therefore it is legal. The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation is a government -run agency that regulates legal gambling and operates casinos and other gambling ventures. Charity sweepstakes and lotteries are also administered by the government through the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.
Gambling Laws in the Philippines such as Articles 195-199 of the Revised Penal Code (Gambling and Betting Forms), R.A. 3063 (Horse racing bookies), P.D. 449 (Sabong), P.D. 483 (Game Arrangement), P.D. 510 (Slot Machines) in connection with Opinion No. 33 and 97 of the Ministry of Justice, P.D. 1306 (Jai-Alai Bookies) and other City and Municipal Ordinances or gambling nationwide mandate penalties that are insufficient to prevent or eliminate these harmful activities.
POPULAR GAMBLING GAMES IN THE PHILIPPINES
Bingo
• Bingo is huge in the Philippines. It is played in Megamalls and community centers across the country. Airlines and restaurants offer their version of the game to win customers over. Some restaurants give customers cards and stamps after each meal. If they make bingo on their card using stamps they will get free food. In 1999, government -authorized games earned 500 million pesos. The game of bingo in the Philippines was introduced and promoted by Christian missionaries and Churches
A typical bingo player in the Philippines goes to a game hall in a large mall several times a week and bets between $ 5 and $ 10 hoping the randomly selected numbers will match the numbers on his card, and hoping to reach the jackpot.
Jueteng
• Jueteng (pronounced hwe-teng) is an illegal numbers game played in the Philippines. According to Kubrador of Bet Collector: “Jueteng originated in China and means“ flower ”(jue) and“ bet ”(teng). Although illegal, it is a widely popular participatory game that transcends most, if not all social and economic boundaries, played by the rich and the poor. With long odds and no limit on minimum or maximum bets, the lure of quick riches through a profitable payout is its strongest appeal.
Jueteng is a type of local lottery in which people from different economic and social backgrounds participate. Since there is no limit to the maximum or minimum bet, along with long odds, it entices many people to try their luck..
The game relies heavily on having a large number of bets, and there is no limit to the amount of bet (s). The gambler typically selects two numbers from 1 to 37, and the winning number is determined by selecting a pair of numbers from two sets of 37 numbered balls. So the theoretical probability of winning either game is one of 37 X 37 or 1/1369 with a payout of 1: 800. This is not the same as number games in the U.S. in the early 20th century, where the last digit of the winning pay out or the number of winning horses for three consecutive races determines the winning combination.
