Which law governs e-sabong?

Executive Order No. 9 s. 2022 continues the nationwide suspension of all e-sabong operations. Presidential Decree No. 449, the Cockfighting Law of 1974, governs licensed cockpits.

Who signed Executive Order No. 9?

President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., signed it on 28 December 2022. The 3 May 2022 suspension it recites came earlier.

Does the suspension cover regular cockfights?

No. Section 1 says traditional cockfights authorized or licensed under existing laws are not covered.

Where do I find the full text?

Lawphil.net and the Official Gazette carry Executive Order No. 9 s. 2022 and Presidential Decree No. 449. Check them for any later order.

JILICC E-Sabong Law: PD 449 and EO 9, Section by Section

In this section
Fact	Value
JILICC DS88 Sabong	DS88 Sabong is the name the JILICC lobby's footer Agent Joining page uses for its SABONG lane, which lists the codes DS88, R88 and 1BET.
JILICC and the Missing Sabungeros Case	The missing sabungeros case is the set of disappearances of cockfight enthusiasts in 2021 and 2022 that the Senate investigated.
JILICC Sabong Bet Terms	At a licensed cockpit a bet taker calls and takes the bets, the referee announces the result, and the bet taker pays the winners after deducting a commission.
JILICC Tari Explained	The tari is the gaff or blade tied to a fighting cock's leg in Philippine sabong.

E-sabong has been under a nationwide suspension since President Marcos signed Executive Order No. 9 on 28 December 2022.

That order sits on top of older instruments, starting with Presidential Decree No. 449 for licensed cockpits. This page sets out each instrument and what its text says; the cockpit side of the law in PD 449 covers the arena side in detail.

The e-sabong law table

The table reads the instruments in the order Executive Order No. 9 itself recites them. Entries after the first marked row come from the order’s recitals, not from the full text of each law.

Instrument	What it says, as recited or read
PD No. 449 (1974), Cockfighting Law	Governs establishment, operation and ownership of cockpits; cockfighting only in licensed cockpits on set days
PD No. 483 (1974)	Prohibits game-fixing and betting on fraudulent games, races or sports contests
PD No. 1602 (1978)	Stiffer penalties for illegal or unauthorized cockfighting
EO No. 13 (2017)	Declares illegal the gambling activities conducted beyond the jurisdiction of the authority that issued the licence
RA No. 7160 (1991), Local Government Code	Local governments license cockpits and regulate cockfighting
PD No. 1869 as amended by RA No. 9487, PAGCOR Charter	PAGCOR operates and licenses gaming within the country
PAGCOR Regulatory Framework for E-Sabong	Covered auxiliary e-sabong operators and off-cockpit betting stations
3 May 2022 directive	A nationwide suspension of e-sabong, spoken by then-President Duterte
EO No. 9 (28 December 2022)	Continues the suspension of all e-sabong operations nationwide

What PD 449 says

Presidential Decree No. 449 allows one cockpit per city or municipality, two above 100,000 population, licensed by the mayor. Section 5(d) limits cockfights to licensed cockpits on Sundays, legal holidays and local fiestas, with named exceptions. Section 5(f) bans any other gambling at the cockpit during a fight.

Rule	Section	Figure
Cockpits per city or municipality	5(b)	1, or 2 above 100,000 population
Longest fiesta or fair run	5(d)	3 days
Official’s licence tax	7	not more than 20 pesos
Operator’s fine	8	2,000 pesos

What the PAGCOR framework and the 3 May 2022 directive were

The order says PAGCOR issued a Regulatory Framework for E-Sabong, covering auxiliary operators and off-cockpit betting stations.

It then says a nationwide suspension of e-sabong operations was implemented on 3 May 2022. That suspension was a spoken directive, not a written order, which is why Executive Order No. 9 followed. For the events around it, see the missing sabungeros background.

What Executive Order No. 9 says

The title of the order is “Directing the Continued Suspension of Electronic Sabong Operations Nationwide”. Its operative sections are short:

Section 1: all e-sabong operations, including auxiliary ones, remain suspended. That covers live-streaming cockfights outside cockpits and online, remote or off-cockpit betting on live cockfights, wherever the platform sits.
Section 1 also says traditional, licensed cockfights are not covered.
Section 2: PAGCOR coordinates with local governments, with the DILG and the PNP assisting and acting against violators.
Section 3: regular reports go to the President through the Executive Secretary.
Section 6: it takes effect immediately.

Reading a lobby label against the law

A casino lobby label does not alter the order. A lane that carries a sabong name, such as the one explained in what DS88 Sabong stands for, falls under Section 1 when it offers online or remote betting on live cockfights. Three questions settle it:

Is the betting online, remote or off-cockpit?
Is it on a live cockfight?
Is it a traditional licensed cockfight, with the bettor present?

Only a yes to the third question, with no to the first, puts the bet outside the suspension.

Bills and later orders

Check the Official Gazette for any executive order after 28 December 2022 and the websites of the Senate and the House of Representatives for any bill. A claim that online sabong is legal again has to point to one of them.

Search the Official Gazette for executive orders on e-sabong dated after 28 December 2022.
Search the Senate and House sites for bills on e-sabong.
Compare any claim with Section 1 of the order above.

JILICC E-Sabong Law: Which Orders Apply and What They Say