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Don't even try: E-sabong among 'most difficult' addictions, warns psychologist

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Raffy Cabristante, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Don" t="" even="" try:="" E-sabong="" among="" warns="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/afp/06/05/20200605-cockfighting-san-roque-afp-10087770.jpg"/></figure></div><p>MANILA — A mom has regrettably sold her baby while a young man lost nearly all of his family&#x27;s life savings, all because they couldn&#x27;t get out of their &quot;e-sabong&quot; obsession. </p><p>This is not surprising, as gambling, particularly e-sabong, is one of the most difficult addictions to manage, warned psychologist Dr. Randy Dellosa. </p><p>&quot;Sabong is very culturally condoned and tolerated in the Philippines. [It] can be addictive is because of the culture and festivity. You&#x27;re not only going there to bet. There&#x27;s a whole culture and environment you are addicted to. Your friends are there; you&#x27;re addicted to the noise,&quot; Dellosa said.</p><p>Dellosa also attributes the addiction to e-sabong to its accessibility, as people are now betting online, resulting in higher debts and stakes.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s easier to get the money and play. It&#x27;s very convenient too, because you don&#x27;t have to travel [to the actual cockfighting pits],&quot; he added.</p><p>Recently, a <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/03/14/22/sanggol-sa-pasig-binenta-pambayad-sa-e-sabong">mother</a> went viral on social media after appealing to the &quot;buyers&quot; of her daughter to return her child. She sold her own child to pay her debts out of her addiction to e-sabong. </p><p>She sold her child for P45,000, but could not contact the buyer anymore when she changed her mind.</p><p>&quot;As their debts grow, they become desperate to pay off their debts. They also become involved in high-stakes gambling. There&#x27;s an urgency to find money through any means. They&#x27;ve lost much, so now they want to earn more from gambling,&quot; Dellosa noted.</p><p>Other factors that may lead to e-sabong addiction include role-modeling, especially when a person has family members or relatives who are also addicted to cockfighting.</p><p>But even though gambling addiction may be difficult to manage, Dellosa still recommends rehabilitation to help address the problem.</p><p>Persons willing to let go of the addiction, however, must still be wary of possible relapses, especially that there&#x27;s a natural desire for something they&#x27;ve been deprived of for a long time.</p><p>&quot;What really helps, aside from the rehab, are family support, spiritual renewal, having a greater sense of purpose in life, and staying away from anything that will remind the person of sabong,&quot; Dellosa told ABS-CBN News.</p><p>In a <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/03/03/22/binatang-natalo-ng-p1-m-sa-e-sabong-tinalikuran-ang-bisyo-para-sa-magulang">TeleRadyo interview</a>, 20-year-old John Robin Manalili said he wanted to quit e-sabong for his parents. He lost up to P1 million to his addiction.</p><p>Authorities, meanwhile, are still continuing probes on 34 cockfighting enthusiasts or &quot;sabungeros&quot; who have gone missing.</p><p>&quot;E-sabong&quot; can easily be accessible to users through their smartphones, with transactions made via online-cash-apps. </p><p>Without the need to physically go to a venue to participate in gambling, there is no regulation over who is allowed or not to participate in the activity.</p><p>Online sabong license-holder Atong Ang bared in a recent inquiry that the business delivers at least P3 billion in gross income per month.</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1848785" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

A mom has regrettably sold her baby while a young man lost nearly all of his family's life savings, all because they couldn't get out of their 'e-sabong' obsession. 

Don't even try: E-sabong among 'most difficult' addictions, warns psychologist

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Don't even try: E-sabong among 'most difficult' addictions, warns psychologist

Raffy Cabristante,

ABS-CBN News

Published March 15, 2022 06:41 PM PHT

|

Updated March 15, 2022 06:52 PM PHT

Read More:

E-sabong

sabong

cockfighting

gambling

addiction

psychology

Randy Dellosa

viral

illegal gambling

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