The Games and Amusement Board (GAB) was established in 1951 by the Philippine gambling law, Executive Order No. 392 to combat illegal activities and to regulate sporting operations throughout the Philippines. Their vision is to develop world-class professional athletes while providing a solid foundation to protect today’s athletes and future professionals. They also specialize in character building and the enhancement of self-discipline among sporting professionals. The GAB is a government entity under direct orders from the Office of the President. The revenue obtained from the GAB goes into operating costs and funds many different aspects of sports and games across all levels. The Games and Amusement Board currently oversees and regulates Philippine domestic sports including cockfighting, soccer, basketball, tennis, Martial Arts, bowling, wrestling, boxing, and horse racing which is supported by PHILRACOM.
The Anti-Illegal Gambling Unit And The GAB
In 1992, the Anti-Illegal Gambling Unit (AIGU) was established to help assist the GAB in the fight against illegal gambling activities. Originally the AIGU was composed of personnel appointed by the chairman of the GAB, but since its conception, it has become a part of the GAB. There focus is on illegal bookies in the cockpits and on horse race tracks. Today the AIGU is a division of the GAB and together they fight illegal activities to drive more revenue to legal sports betting operations.
What GAB Sports Are Legal To Bet On?
The Games and Amusement Board regulates several sports that are legal to bet on domestically in the Philippines. Horse racing and cockfighting are the two sports that can be wagered on domestically either at the track or the cockpit. All other events are best wagered on over the Internet with offshore Philippine legal online sports betting sites. This is because Philippine gambling laws do not allow all residents to bet with domestic sportsbooks. MegaSportsWorld (MSW) is the domestic sportsbook for the Philippines and they have over 100 locations spread across the islands with most of them residing near the National Capital Region. MSW's online betting service is now up and running, too, but the site limits membership to established "VIP" bettors. This means most residents can't participate.
Is It Legal To Bet On Philippine Basketball Games?
Yes, with the use of offshore Philippines legal online sports betting sites. Filipino’s can not bet domestically on Philippine Basketball games because gambling laws prohibit domestic sportsbooks from accepting bets on local Philippine events. There is no wordage in any Philippine law that states the use of offshore online sportsbooks is illegal, so it is presumed legal. We have found that many of the best online sportsbooks offer Philippine Basketball games to wager on. Online sportsbooks are usually the most convenient option for Filipino’s. Online players have greater flexibility and online sportsbooks usually offer better betting lines, odds, and bonuses.
Sport Regulations And Licensing
Cockfighting (Sabong) Regulations
Cockfighting or Sabong is a Philippine tradition with written records that date back to the 1500’s. Since 1951 the GAB has been in charge of overseeing the industry and issuing licenses and permits to international cockfighting derbies. They also supervise the events and issues policy guidelines. Illegal cockfight bets still take place but since the sport has been under the GAB’s control government agencies have cracked down on illegal operations.
Boxing And Other Combat Sports
The GAB oversees all boxing operations and issues licenses for boxers, trainers, facilities and more. They also issue insurance permits for facilities that host the events. A boxer that wants to fight in a chartered event must have the proper license. To obtain a license, boxers and other combat sport fighters must pass a drug test along with a CT scan that says they are good to fight.
Horse Racing
The GAB oversees betting operations and issues permits and licensing for all aspects of horse racing including the facilities, jockeys, trainers, and more. A permitted horse race track can accept bets on races. The additional revenue obtained from the horse race betting industry ends up in the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) fund. The PCSO is in charge of paying out the jockeys and horse owners.
Philippine Basketball Association
To play in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) a player must obtain a license from the GAB. To obtain a license a player must pass a series of physical test that deems the player fit to play. They also must pass a drug screen, chest scan and provide proof of residency or a work visa. The PBA has been around since 1975 and was the first professional basketball league in Asia.
Licensing Cost And Duration
The cost associated with the licenses vary depending on what part you play and what sport. We will use basketball as an example, for an announcer the license is $300 PHP, for the basketball team license it cost about $10,100 PHP. Every aspect of the game is licensed and regulated, even the team masseur must obtain a license. Licenses typically last for one full year and after it expires a player or another entity is required to renew, disband or face late penalties. For the full list of licensing prices visit the Games and Amusement Board’s official website.