A provincial ordinance banning electronic and machine-based betting in cockpits across Bohol took effect Monday, requiring all licensed arenas to revert to traditional wagering methods.
Ordinance 2025-028, signed into law by Bohol Governor Aris Aumentado on December 1, 2025 mandates strict implementation of manual betting in Bohol’s cockpits, officials said.
The measure took effect January 6, 2026 following its publication in a newspaper of general circulation, as required by law.
“The ordinance seeks to protect the morals, mental health and economic welfare of Boholanos,” the measure said, adding it aims to preserve traditional betting methods in cockfighting.
The ban covers all forms of machine betting, including kiosks and electronic betting stations that have proliferated in some Bohol cockpits despite a national prohibition on e-sabong, or online cockfighting.
Violators face up to one year imprisonment and fines not exceeding P5,000 pesos.
Cockpit operators who breach the ordinance risk permit cancellation or revocation.
The ordinance, sponsored by Board Members Romulo Cepedoza and Benjie Arcamo, passed final reading on November 11, 2025.
Local government units and police have been tasked with monitoring compliance and seizing illegal betting machines.
Cockfighting
Cockfighting, known locally as “sabong,” is legal in the Philippines under Presidential Decree 449, the Cockfighting Law of 1974, which regulates the centuries-old bloodsport as part of Filipino culture and entertainment.
However, the 1974 law does not permit the use of machines, kiosks or electronic betting in licensed cockpits.
In 2022, then-President Rodrigo Duterte banned e-sabong nationwide following public outcry over widespread gambling addiction and the disappearance of more than 30 people linked to e-sabong.
Despite the national ban, electronic betting devices have persisted in some provincial cockpits, prompting local authorities to enact stricter enforcement measures.