Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation(PAGCOR)

January 24, 2022 Dear Hermes Ribaya, Greetings! Thank you for your request dated Nov 20, 2021 01:14:59 AM under Executive Order No. 2 (s. 2016) on Freedom of Information in the Executive Branch. Your Request You asked for the number of online sabong participants. Response to Request Your FOI request is approved. Hereunder is our reply to the list of information requested: 1. The number and demographic of online sabong participants – No available data. PAGCOR-ESLD is still on the process of studying the integration of the platforms of licensed E-Sabong operators which will enable the consolidation of demographics of players and other relevant data. 2. The growth of online sabong during the pandemic. It was during the COVID-19 pandemic when online sabong increased exponentially. Eventually, online sabong, or e-sabong, gained much popularity as an online gaming activity among Filipinos. With the increasing patronization by the Filipino public and the lack of controls to ensure lawful conduct of gaming an proper collection of taxes, PAGCOR saw the need to intervene and regulate. PAGCOR thus introduced three (3) Regulatory Frameworks to govern the conduct of E-sabong operations in the country: a. Regulatory Framework for Electronic sabong (E-Sabong); b. Regulatory Framework for E-Sabong Off-Cockpit Betting Station (OCBS); and c. Regulatory Framework for E-Sabong Auxiliary Operations (ESAO); As of date, PAGCOR already licensed seven (7) E-Sabong Operators and five (5) E-Sabong Auxiliary Operators. Your right to request a review If you are unhappy with this response to your FOI request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response by writing to the Office of the Corporate Secretary with address at 5/F PAGCOR Executive Office, 1588 M.H. del Pilar corner Pedro Gil Streets, Malate, Manila or through email address [email protected]. Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response and should be made within 15 calendar days from the date when you received this letter. We will complete the review and tell you the result within 30 calendar days from the date when we receive your review request. If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Office of the President under Administrative Order No. 22 (s. 2011). Thank you. Respectfully, Atty. Juanito L. Sañosa, Jr. FOI Decision Maker PAGCOR Corporate Secretary and Compliance Officer