Three years after the Philippines was put on the international esports betting map with the hosting of the ESL One Manilla and the Manilla Major for Dota 2, Philippine esports have grown rapidly to become a big market in the South East Asia betting industry. The popularity of esports in the Philippines was also helped by the pledge of the government to provide support and to regulate the market in 2017. Corporations situated in the Philippines such as Globe and PLDT have also supported esport games by hosting numerous national tournaments.
With esports gaining support from all angles in the Philippines, more and more Filipinos are getting involved in esports betting and are in ready search for esport betting sites. Some of the most popular esport games in the Philippines include Dota 2, League of Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Starcraft 2. These are all available for betting in the Philippines. More information tailored to Filipino players can be found on eBetFinder.
Popularity of Esports Betting in the Philippines
Situated in the South East Asian Region, the Philippines are labeled the fastest growing esports audience in the world. This is to show how popular esports is in the country with numerous titles won and tournaments hosted in the last few years. The Philippines is seen as one of the best markets for hosting of esport tournaments because of its qualitative and affordable structures that have been put in place for such events – in addition to its growing fan base.
Unfortunately, the stance of the Philippine government regarding the use of illegal drugs has, however, discouraged some event organizers. For instance, in 2018, Valve (the developer of Dota 2) declined support for a Dota 2 tournament scheduled to be held in January because they were dissatisfied with the government’s stance on the use of illegal substances.
In spite of these setbacks, esports in the Philippines have continued to thrive with several other tournaments. One of these tournaments is ‘The Nationals’ – the Philippines’ first franchise based electronic esports league which started in August 2018. In addition to this, the Philippines was also selected to host the 2019 SEA Games.
The Legality of Esports Betting in the Philippines
Generally betting is legal in the Philippines but you must be above 18 years to register at an online bookmaker and engage in esports betting. It is legal to register with any licensed and regulated offshore betting site as Philippine laws do not apply to Filipino bettors but to the operators of the betting sites.
The major challenge faced by Filipino bettors is, however, how to find betting sites willing to accept residents in the Philippines. Many operators do not accept Filipino bettors because they also have local businesses in the country and in order to continue with such business, they must prevent Filipinos from registering and placing bets with them.
