| Operator / Syndicate | Visayas Cockers Club, Inc. |
|---|---|
| Consumer Threat Level | CRITICAL PHISHING & CLONE THREAT — Active .me and .in domains use fake PAGCOR seals |
| PAGCOR ESLD History | Commenced June 3, 2021 — Terminated May 3, 2022 |
| Defanged Mirror URLs | 4 Former PAGCOR Domains: sabonginternational[.]ph, sabonginternational[.]com[.]ph | Active Illegal Clones: sabonginternational[.]me, sabonginternational[.]in |
| Payment / Loader Trap | Current Illegal Clones: Unverified GCash Mules, "First Deposit Bonus" Phishing Traps |
| Enforcement Record | May 2021 PAGCOR Advisory; House Bill 10204 (Nov 2021); SR 996 (Feb 2022); EO No. 09 |
1. Corporate Origins, May 2021 PAGCOR Warning & June 2021 Accreditation
Visayas Cockers Club, Inc., operating the brand Sabong International PH, had one of the most complex regulatory timelines of the 2021–2022 e-sabong era. In May 2021, prior to the company’s formal accreditation, PAGCOR issued a public warning flagging sabonginternational[.]com (alongside kingsportslive[.]com, sabongworldwide[.]com, and manilacockers[.]com) as operating without an ESLD permit. Shortly thereafter, on June 3, 2021, Visayas Cockers Club, Inc. completed its regulatory compliance requirements and received its official PAGCOR Notice to Commence under the brand Sabong International PH, registering 4 official websites and securing accreditation for E-Sabong Auxiliary Operations (ESAO).
2. House Bill No. 10204 & Congressional Franchise Controversy
In November 2021, the House Committee on Legislative Franchises approved House Bill No. 10204, authored by then-Negros Oriental Representative Arnolfo Teves Jr., which sought to grant Visayas Cockers Club, Inc. a 25-year legislative franchise to broadcast live cockfighting streams and establish off-cockpit betting stations nationwide. The bill drew fierce public condemnation from religious leaders and lawmakers—including Deputy Speaker Bro. Eddie Villanueva and former Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano—who warned that granting 25-year congressional franchises to online sabong firms would institutionalize gambling addiction across Philippine households. Like HB 10199, House Bill No. 10204 stalled in the Senate following the outbreak of the missing sabungeros scandal in early 2022.
3. The May 2022 Ban & Rise of Fraudulent Offshore Clones (.ME / .IN)
Visayas Cockers Club, Inc. had its e-sabong license and ESAO accreditation terminated on May 3, 2022, and permanently barred under Executive Order No. 09 (s. 2022). However, among all nine historical brands, Sabong International is the most heavily spoofed brand by modern offshore phishing syndicates.
Today, offshore domains such as sabonginternational[.]me and sabonginternational[.]in remain live on the internet targeting Filipino searchers. These fraudulent websites illegally display stolen PAGCOR logos, claim to be “Regulated by PAGCOR,” and advertise “1st Time Deposit Bonuses” to lure unsuspecting players. Once a player deposits money via a manual GCash or Maya agent link on these .me or .in sites, the platform either rigs the pre-recorded video stream or blocks the user’s account upon withdrawal. See also: Sabong International .me / .in offshore spoofs.