Gambling in the Philippines

Gambling in the Philippines has been present since the nineteenth century,[1] and remains prevalent in the nation today. Presently, it takes on different legal and illegal forms found almost all over the archipelago. The government manages gambling throughout the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) that intends to govern and operate games of chance, and to generate government funds,[2] but there are also several other public and private agencies that manages particular forms of betting. In particular, casino gaming under PAGCOR is necessary to the country’s tourism and earnings. The Philippines has more casinos than Macau, with twenty found in Metro Manila alone.
Before the Spanish colonization.,[1] gaming is thought to have been present in the Philippines. Even though there are no exact records when gambling was initially practiced in the archipelago, it is likely that a few forms were introduced by the Chinese in the late sixteenth century. Due to the proximity of both nations, many local Chinese goes to the Philippines for business and profit, engaging in different transactions and activities. [4][5] About Magellan’s voyage to the Philippines, it was mentioned in the accounts of Antonio Pigafetta, that he had witnessed bets being put on cockfights if his ship came at Palawan in 1521.

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