AT least six illegal electronic sabong (e-sabong) sites continue to operate despite President Duterte’s order to stop the operation of the online gambling earlier this month, the PNP said yesterday.
PNP spokeswoman Col. Jean Fajardo said police investigators are now building up cases against the operators of the six illegal “e-sabong” sites.
“As of now PNP cybercrime units are conducting cyber patrolling and they already identified initially six illegal e-sabong sites that continue to operate,” said Fajardo in a press briefing in Camp Crame.
“At present, they are conducting case build up (against the people involved) and they have requested (concerned agencies) to take down the six initially identified illegal e-sabong sites,” added Fajardo.
The President ordered the stop of e-sabong last May 3 due to its negative effects on individuals and families.
Citing information from the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group, Fajardo said it may take time at least two weeks before the PNP can shut down the identified six e-sabong sites.
“Our request to take down the illegal e-sabong sites is on process,” she said.
Meantime, Fajardo said police probers are “conducting case buildup and they are planning to conduct entrapment operation” against those involve in the continued operation of e-sabong.
“That (case buildup and entrapment operations) is the direction of our operating units aside from the take down (of the illegally operating e-sabong sites),” the official said.
Fajardo said the PNP has intensified its efforts to stop all e-sabong operations, adding PNP officer-in-charge Lt. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr has ordered enhanced counter-intelligence operations to ensure no policemen are involved in illegal online gambling activities.
Fajardo said the PNP is likewise checking if the six e-sabong sites that have been caught illegally operating are associated with the six firms that were earlier granted permits by the Philippine Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) to operate e-sabong.
“We have to coordinate with the (internet) service providers to find out and establish the identities of the operators of the identified illegal e-sabong sites,” said Fajardo.
“The PNP leadership also declared that we are not going to spare no one in our investigation,” said Fajardo, noting the President’s order to stop all e-sabong operations and PAGCOR’s suspension of e-sabong permits
On Monday, lawyer Jose Tria, vice president of PAGCOR’s E-Gaming Licensing and Regulation, said PAGCOR has monitored several e-sabong sites that continue to illegally operate, including pinasabong.live, pclive1.com, sabong-express.net, phbetting.live, goperya.com, phbet44.bet, phbet.bet, and phbetr.bet.
