Senator Bato Dela Rosa has mocked a lawyer of GCash for being evasive on the wildly popular e-wallet’s role in driving millions of Filipinos, including possibly overseas Filipinos and minors, into gambling in E-Sabong or online cockfighting.
E-Sabong war! Atong Ang claims rivals Bong Pineda, Cong Teves, Patrick Antonio, General Cascolan, Mayor Nagano salivating over his P60B-a-month windfall
In a Senate hearing on the 34 missing sabungeros from cockpits owned by E-Sabong kingpin Atong Ang, Dela Rosa said he tried GCash’s app and was surprised how easy it was for anybody to bet on E-Sabong even without going through an agent or going to the E-Sabong website.
Atong Ang rakes in up to P60B a month in bets, P3B in profits from E-Sabong while PAGCOR takes only P400M a month
“May bago silang system na hindi ka na dadaan sa agent pasok ka lang sa website ng GCash. May nakalagay doon na button, GCash Life, pag pinindot lalabas doon ‘yung Pitmaster. Pag pinindot dadalhin ka sa Pitmaster,” said Dela Rosa.
Amid search for missing sabungeros: Atong Ang confirms attendance to Senate probe on e-sabong
Pitmaster is Ang’s E-Sabong franchise which rakes in as much as P720 billion in bets and P36 billion in profits every year. Pitmaster is listed as a “GLife Partner” on GCash menu along with food, gaming,transport, lifestyle and billing companies available at the fingertips of its over 50 million users.
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He compared GCash’s role in E-Sabong to fastfood orders where customers place their orders in the merchants and GCash just handles their payments.
But Dela Rosa scoffed at Escoto’s attempt to distance GCash away from Ang’s Pitmaster.
“Wow, iwas pusoy kayo diyan. Otherwise kung iwas pusoy kayo, hindi na kayo pumasok diyan,” said Dela Rosa.
Amid search for missing sabungeros: Atong Ang confirms attendance to Senate probe on e-sabong
“Outside your platform pero nakaenter ako sa sugal na ‘yun. You redirect but through you, wala naman ibang nagredirect…Hind na ako makikipagdebate sa ‘yo, pareho tayo ng ulo. Baka lalo tayong makalbo kung ‘di natin makita yang 34 na taong nawawala,” he added.
During the same hearing, Senator Francis Tolentino questioned GCash and Paymaya on their ability to block minors or overseas Filipinos from betting on E-Sabong after making gambling so accessible to both children and Filipinos outside the country (E-Sabong franchisees are barred from taking bets abroad).
GCash to reveal its share in Atong Ang’s P60B monthly E-Sabong bets next week; Paymaya got only P500M since it started taking bets Feb 5
Escoto stuttered when Tolentino said he would bring minors as resource persons in the hearing to prove that e-wallet apps do not have a foolproof system in place to block Fiipinos below 18 years old from gambling.
“I am not saying this is perfect but there are secondary…secondary…what is this…safeguards. Like the daily reconciliation reports,” said a nervous Escoto.