While baseball isn’t typically a big-money betting market in the Philippines, this year could be different. That’s because Tim Tebow will be playing for Team Philippines in the World Baseball Classic qualifiers. How is this possible? Well, it’s a little-known fact that Tebow – the Heisman Trophy-winning University of Florida quarterback, former NFL starter, and … Read more
There’s no doubt that the Philippines loves its boxing. But it isn’t often that the nation’s boxing fandom shows much interest in the heavyweight class or in fighters outside of the ASEAN countries. That said, the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury rematch is a clear exception. The heavily anticipated sequel has been generating buzz since the first … Read more
It’s been a busier time than usual in the Philippines gambling market. With fears of coronavirus continuing to spread, many Chinese gamblers are turning to POGOs, which is a boon for the islands’ gaming industry and tax coffers. However, locals are also more cautious to travel and mingle in traditional brick-and-mortar casinos within the Philippines, … Read more
The Philippines has long stood by its insistence that the country’s POGO marketplace – aimed at Chinese players who cannot legally gamble online in their own nation – would remain in operation despite Beijing’s efforts to shutter the industry. However, the tide of public option on Chinese online gambling appears to be turning. Unfortunately, this … Read more
Want to bet on the Super Bowl? While the Philippines hosts plenty of POGOs, Filipino bettors can’t actually use them. And unfortunately, MegaSportsWorld isn’t exactly known for offering a ton of NFL odds, either. However, if you live in the islands and want to wager on a Vegas-like variety of Super Bowl props and lines, … Read more
This week, the Chinese government announced a new initiative aimed at policing the country’s illegal gambling market. This is, at least publicly, something of a 180 from the nation’s stance in the last several months, where it implored the Duterte Administration to bar all online gaming in the Philippines. With Duterte et al. having none … Read more
It’s been a reasonably quiet week in the Philippines gambling market, for a change. However, thanks to the ongoing row between China and the Philippines due to the latter’s controversial POGO industry, developments in competing markets – especially those in China – are of much interest to Filipino casino insiders. Just this week, the China … Read more
While the Philippines have been a constant thorn in the side of China through the former’s controversial POGO industry, Cambodia has received less fanfare for being largely the same thing. Over the past several years, both Southeast Asian nations have built up domestic gambling markets that largely target mainland Chinese players, much to Beijing’s chagrin. … Read more
The Philippine gambling industry can’t seem to catch a break. Despite record profits and a concerted effort to crack down on tax-dodging POGOs and commercial brick-and-mortar casinos, critics are still pushing the narrative that the industry is a magnet for fraudsters and violent criminals. The South China Morning Post’s most recent report on the subject … Read more
There is seemingly no end to the various “controversies” around the domestic Philippines gambling industry. Usually, the issues of import arise from the tenuous, Chinese-dominated POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator) market, but the local casino markets have also been in the spotlight of late. First, many local politicians suggested that the state-run casinos in the … Read more