IN A Senate hearing on the mysterious disappearance of 34 persons allegedly involved in e-sabong fixing, Atong Ang made legislators’ jaws drop as he revealed how much his online cockfighting firm earns.
Ang runs Lucky 8 Star Quest Inc., which was awarded a 25-year license to stream online cockfighting matches and run betting operations last September.
During the hearing, Ang revealed that daily bets that go through his firm’s Pitmasters Live games can go up to P2 billion per day.
“More or less P60 billion po a month,” he confirmed.
Further breaking down the finances, Atong Ang said that the firm gets a five percent cut, or around P3 billion. About two thirds of that goes to their agents as commission, which means, “P1.5 billion ang matitira. One percent ang expenses, [so] more or less mga P900 million, P800 million matitira sa isang buwan,” he went on.
Senator Drilon questions Ang's E-sabong contributions
Senator Franklin Drilon immediately hit back at the figures presented by Ang.
“Kung P3 billion ang kinikita ng Lucky 8, baka po payat ang P600 million to P640 million na sinasabi ng Pagcor na kanilang income dito sa e-sabong,” observed the minority floor leader.
It was reported last September — the month that Lucky 8 was awarded its license — that e-sabong contributes P400 million a month to the coffers of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor).
Pagcor chairperson and CEO Andrea Domingo has revised that figure, stating during the ongoing hearings that e-sabong revenues are now P640 million a month.
Drilon emphasized, “Uulitin ko lang, P3 billion per month — even assuming that you incur expenses on this — P640 million per month of revenue by Pagcor is a pittance, is very small compared to the gross income of Lucky 8.”
The Senate has proposed to suspend e-sabong operations as investigations continue on the disappearance of the cockfighting enthusiasts.
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