The Philippine embassy in France has issued a warning to its nationals that cockfighting is illegal in the country and punishable with a fine of up to €45,000 (US$51,550).
The warning comes after the embassy noted “it has been alerted by the French authorities of illegal gambling and cockfighting activities being conducted by Filipinos in France.”
The authority further stated that such events caused complaints about “disturbances of the peace and littering.”
The fine for the activity is related to France’s laws on animal cruelty, with the embassy reminding its citizens living there to have “respect for and observance of French laws.”
Cockfighting, or sabong as it’s known, is not outlawed in the Philippines. However, online betting on the activity – e-sabong – was suspended by Executive Order in 2022. There are still licensed cockfighting bouts in the Philippines, but these fall under strict regulations and online betting on the matches is forbidden.
The practice came under fire after the disappearance of at least 34 people tied to e-sabong in the Philippines in 2022, allegedly over accusations of rigging matches. Numerous bodies were found in a lake, reportedly linked to the operations after years-long investigations into the alleged crimes.
Sports betting is allowed in France, including football, tennis, rugby, motorsport, boxing, horse racing, NFL and more – all licensed under the National Gaming Authority (Autorité Nationale des Jeux). Online casino games are still illegal, despite online sports betting being allowed; casinos are limited to licensed physical properties.
The Philippines has been moving to stamp out all e-sabong activities in recent years, with some success, as gaming regulator PAGCOR has repeatedly called for the shutdown of any unregulated gaming activity, online or otherwise.
E-sabong was officially regulated by PAGCOR in a formal framework under PAGCOR from early 2021 before its shutdown in 2022, bringing in about Php5.06 billion (US$80.9 million) in income during its regulated period.
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