In partial fulfillment of the Requirements in the subject of Criminological Research and Statistics

A Comparative Study of Illegal Gambling in Rural and Urban Places in Ilocos Norte
 Researchers:

Agag, Yhanmar R.

Aurelio, Mark Louie

Domingo, Jake Rianne M.

Julian, Mark Aldrin R.

Magno, Jericho B.

Olivar, Jhon B.

Rosqueta, Mark Arvee V.

Chapter I .

Introduction

Illegal gambling means the making, placing, or receipt of any bet or wager in the form of

money or other consideration or thing of value, made in exchange for a chance to win a prize,

stake, or other consideration or thing of value, dependent upon the result of any game, contest, or

any other event the outcome of which is uncertain or a matter of chance, whether such game,

contest, or event occurs or is to occur inside or outside the limits of the laws set by the government.

In the Philippine Law, Illegal gambling is defined under the Executive Order No. 13, s.

2017 “as an act that is committed by any person who, in any manner, shall directly or indirectly

take part in any game scheme, regardless of whether winning thereat is dependent upon chance or

skill or both, wherein wagers consisting of money, articles of value or representative of value are

at stake or made, when such game scheme is not authorized or licensed by the government agency

duly empowered by law or its charter to license or authorize the conduct of such games, or is

conducted in a manner that violates the terms and conditions duly prescribed by the said

government agency.”

Illegal gambling has become a popular activity in both urban and rural settings. Although

the prevalence and participation of gambling is well known, little has been reported regarding the

impacts of gambling on rural communities. In the Philippines, Illegal gambling is one of the

leading causes of the rise of crimes both in rural and urban areas. The government still takes a lot

of effort into strengthening its counter measures to combat the rising numbers of illegal gamblers

and the crimes that maybe connected to it. Legislators and law enforcement agencies are also doing

the best they can do just to lessen the rising number of illegal gamblers, thus, considering them all

as violators if the law is concerned. With this concern, the government still needs to make further

amendments and adjustments with existing laws that prohibits every citizen in committing any
actions that may later result to their arrest with relation to illegal gambling and any crimes

committed that can be related to it.

Rural gambling, according to research, is more rampant than urban gambling, which in

nature is more conservative in nature for most cases are committed in a subtle way. However, rural

gambling can be seen wherever in the rural setting. Compounds and other public areas such as

parks are used as venues for illegal gambling activities especially those who doesn’t have to do

during any time of the day. While on the other hand, urban gambling is subtly committed by illegal

gamblers in a more high-tech way such as through the internet or the online gambling, which, in

any case might be legal or illegal in nature.

In connection to this, comparing crime rates that arises from both cases is very important

for the government. Crime statistics are very important to broaden law enforcement resource

allocation especially those crimes committed with relation to illegal gambling both in rural and

urban areas.

In this research, the researchers aim to determine the number of crime cases with relation

to illegal gambling both in rural and urban areas in Ilocos Norte. With this, the researchers aim to

provide ways/tips to curb the major and minor crimes related to illegal gambling both in rural and

urban areas by comparing crime rates and the factors that maybe related to its commitment.
Background of the Study

Illegal gambling has contributed to the Philippines' culture and identity ever since its

introduction and rise in popularity in the country. Similar to other East and Southeast

Asian countries, the Philippines has developed a reputation of a gambling society. This culture of

illegal gambling permeates various sectors of the Philippine society, most primarily the rural and

urban areas in the country. According to the social anthropologist, Per Binde, “Gambling is a

social, cultural and economic phenomenon, a remarkably flexible way of redistributing wealth,

which is embedded in the socio‐cultural systems of societies.”

One of the major effects of Illegal gambling is gambling addiction or pathological

gambling . It is the disorder of impulse control in which a person makes wagers of various types—

in casinos, at horse races, to book-makers—which compromises, disrupts, or damages personal,

family, or vocational pursuits. Psychiatrist Ivanhoe Escartin of the Philippine Psychiatric

Association (PPA) said that winning in gambling can get players hooked because of the “pleasure”

of winning, which they want to feel again. But even when losing, gambling can become a

compulsive habit because the players tend to try to recoup their losses.

Pathological gambling is similar to many other impulse-control disorders such

as kleptomania. According to evidence from both community- and clinic-based studies,

individuals who are pathological gamblers are highly likely to exhibit other psychiatric problems

concurrently, including substance use disorders, mood and anxiety disorders, or personality

disorders.

In the Philippines, Sen. Joel Villanueva sounds the alarm over the proliferation of online

cockfighting and other forms of gambling in the country as he insists that providing jobs, not

gambling, would provide more opportunities to Filipinos. During the hybrid hearing on the rising
number of missing persons involved in cockfighting and online cockfighting, Thursday, February

24, 2022, Villanueva pointed out that the social cost of gambling is too high to be ignored --

families falling into bankruptcy, people getting involved in criminal activities because of their

gambling addiction. He also cited a 2011 study conducted by Baylor University in Texas, United

States, which found that the social cost of each pathological gambler is US$ 9,393 annually or

almost half a million pesos. “It has already been established in different studies that pathological

gambling is a mental disease and there is a correlation between gambling and suicide. Even the

World Health Organization (WHO) has classified pathological gambling as a disease… It’s about

time to wake up to the downside of gambling and discuss its ill-effects during this time of major

health and economic woes.” With this, there is a rise of number of illegal gamblers who tend to

commit crimes due to their uncontrollable behaviors. They commit crimes which are punishable

by the law and later have an effect both in the personal and social aspects of an illegal gambler.

Thus, with this status quo, there is a big problem in mitigating such activities in the country and

this needs an immediate plan with action to alter its effects to the people and the country as a

whole.
Statement of the Problem

This research has a major concern regarding difference between the rates on illegal

gambling cases in rural and urban areas in Ilocos Norte and to obtain knowledge on such matter.

This research seeks to answer the questions such as:

1. What is the rate of Illegal gambling cases in rural and urban areas?

2.What is the degree of Implementation of Illegal gambling in rural and urban areas?

3.What is the level of awareness of the community about illegal gambling both in rural and urban

areas?

4.What is the importance of determining the crimes with relation to Illegal gambling committed in

rural and urban areas?

Significance of the Study

The results of the study will benefit the following:

Policemen This research will help policemen to further improve their programs and tactics in

battling the rising number of crimes with relation to illegal gambling both in rural and urban

settings in the Philippines. These policemen will be able to formulate effective and efficient

strategies to further alleviate crimes related to illegal gambling both in rural and urban settings.

Legislators This research will help lawmakers in the Philippines to formulate and pass laws and

orders to further improve the services of the legislative and judiciary sector of the government with

relation to crimes related to illegal gambling both in rural and urban settings in the Philippines.
Medical Personnels This research will help medical experts to further improve formulated

programs to address the medical needs of illegal gamblers both in physical and psychological

aspects.

Future Researchers. The conducted research will further open doors for future researchers to

refine and expand studies in relation to illegal gambling in rural and urban areas in the Philippines

and the crimes related to it. This may serve as a source of information about the number of crime

rates with relation to illegal gambling both in rural and urban areas in the Philippines.
 Scope and Delimitation of the Study

The general intent of this research is to know the number of major and minor crimes

committed with relation to illegal gambling both in rural and urban settings and make a

comparative study out of statistics gathered. The urban area where the research will be conducted

is Laoag City Ilocos Norte, Philippines while the urban area will be in Marcos Ilocos Norte,

Philippines. This research will mainly identify and assess different factors that affect the

commitment of crimes with relation to illegal gambling in the rural and urban areas and to propose

interventions in mitigating such problem.

Definition of Terms

To facilitate the understanding of the research, different terms are defined herein.

Illegal Gambling. This term refers to any illegal activities where illegal gamblers participate both

in rural and urban areas.

Crime Rate. This term pertains to the number of crimes committed with relation to illegal

gambling both in rural and urban areas in Ilocos Norte.

Rural. This term refers to local areas such as countryside where crimes related to illegal gambling

were committed.

Urban. This term pertains to the urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human

settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are

created through urbanization and are categorized as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs.

Ordinance. This term means such as a law issued by a local government such as a municipality,

county, parish, prefecture, or the like.

Legislator. This term pertains to a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is

a member of a legislature.

Policemen. This term refers to any member of the police force in the locality.
 Theoretical Framework

The Theoretical Framework of Rural and Urban Illegal Gambling moves beyond a

symptoms-based view of harm and addresses a broad set of factors related to the risks and effects

of gambling harmfully at the individual, family, and community levels.

The Framework development was undertaken initially to address the need for a

comprehensive framework of harmful illegal gambling that incorporates multidisciplinary

perspectives. The aim was to “develop a clear, comprehensive, and internationally relevant

conceptual framework that would address a broad set of factors related to the risks and effects of

harmful gambling at the individual, family, and community levels”. More specifically, the

objectives were:

1. To reflect current knowledge (across existing models and disciplines) as it relates to factors

associated with illegal gambling;

2. To assist stakeholders across the illegal gambling landscape to better understand the

complex dynamics involved in illegal gambling to enable better informed decision making

in formulating interventios; and,

3. To guide the development of future research programs by identifying areas where research

is most needed .

The Theoretical Framework is intended to inform a wide stakeholder audience by

presenting high-level factors that contribute to or influence harmful gambling, and demonstrate

the complexity of harmful gambling by showing how the factors are interrelated (Abbott et al.,

2018a, p. 2). In this way, it can help to enable evidence-based decision making and guide research
programs. Although the Framework intent is to address factors related to harmful illegal gambling

at multiple levels, it is somewhat limited at present by the dominance of psychological research

focused at the individual level (Baxter, Hilbrecht, & Wheaton, 2019). This may be starting to shift,

however, as more researchers approach harmful gambling from a public health perspective that

examines multiple contributing factors at the population level (e.g., see Browne et al., 2016; Korn

& Shaffer, 1999; Wardle, Reith, Langham, & Rogers, 2019).

Illegal gambling can be challenging to define, both conceptually and empirically. A broad

definition of harmful illegal gambling advanced for the Theoretical Framework is:

…any type of repetitive gambling that a person engages in that leads to (or aggravates) recurring

negative consequences, such as significant financial problems, addiction, or physical and mental

health issues. Additionally, the gambler's family, social network, and community may also

experience negative effects. The degree of harm can range from inconsequential, to transient, to

significant; harm can be episodic or chronic. (Abbott et al., 2018a, p. 4)

 Conceptual Framework

Illegal
Gambling

Rural Illegal Urban Illegal

Gambling Gambling

Comparative Study on
Crimes Related to Illegal
Gambling

Formulation of Proposed
Interventions for Mitigation of
Crimes with relation to Illegal
Gambling

The conceptual framework is comprised of five factors that are very vital to the conduct of

the whole study. The factors represent the necessary steps or procedures that can contribute to the

successful conduct and completion of the study. The first factor is to define illegal gambling and

its types which are the rural and urban illegal gambling. Next is the conduct of a comparative study

of crimes with relation to illegal gambling both in rural and urban settings. And lastly, is the

formulation of proposed interventions to address such problems identified in the comparative

study.
Chapter 2

Review of Related Literature

There are accounts of people gambling from the dawn of recorded history in the ancient

civilizations of China, sub-continental India, Egypt, Greece, and Rome (Ferentzy & Turner, 2013).

The earliest forms of gambling often involved something akin to dice, such as animal bones, shells,

or nuts. In time, with the development of paper, the use of playing cards and lotteries began to

emerge (Schwartz, 2007). However, just about anything has been used for gambling purposes,

from traditional parlour games such as billiards to “cow chip bingo” (Fund, 2011) and “tic-tac-

toe” played against live chickens (Bihm, Gillaspy, Lammers, & Huffman, 2011). Gambling may

be viewed as a useful way of raising revenue by governments without directly introducing changes

to individual tax rates (Walker & Jackson, 2011). A number of schemes have been introduced

capitalising on gambling revenue, usually in the form of lotteries (Bleakley & Ferrie, 2013; Giroux,

2012). Gambling is considered to have a sinister side, associated with organised crime, leading to

ruination and despair and corrupting communities (Hall, 2013; Ratcliffe, Strang, & Taylor, 2014).

Links have been established between gambling and social, psychological, and physical problems

(Afifi, Cox, Martens, Sareen, & Enns, 2011; Lemmens, Valkenburg, & Peter, 2011). People who

are attracted to gambling generally come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and have higher

vulnerabilities to health problems, further compounding the problems associated with gambling

(Braverman & Shaffer, 2012). In rural settings, these issues are compounded by social and health

disparities related to lack of opportunity (Crosby, Wendel, Vanderpool, & Casey, 2012) and

gambling can be more destructive to the community than in urban settings (Doran & Young, 2013).

Poor health outcomes are associated with a number of common issues in most rural communities

in the world. People living in rural communities experience a degree of isolation in the form of

poor transportation, fewer shops, limited healthcare facilities, and technological connectivity
issues (Velaga, Beecroft, Nelson, Corsar, & Edwards, 2012). There is evidence of health disparities

for people living in rural areas (Gamm, Castillo, & Pittman, 2003; Marmot, Friel, Bell, Houweling,

& Taylor, 2008). In terms of specific health conditions, the picture is mixed. Mental health

problems are more closely linked with innercity living (Peen, Schoevers, Beekman, & Dekker,

2010) whereas cardio-vascular disease, risky alcohol use, and substance misuse are more common

in rural areas (Miller, Coomber, Staiger, Zinkiewicz, & Toumbourou, 2010; Quarells, Liu, &

Davis, 2012). However, regardless of the relative protective and risk factors linked to rural living,

when a person develops a health problem, access to adequate healthcare becomes an issue

(Brundisini et al., 2013; Gulliver, Griffiths, & Christensen, 2010; Wilson et al., 2009). This is

heightened where a health phenomenon, such as gambling, is less recognized by health and social

care agencies (Ludwig, Kräplin, Braun, & Kraus, 2013; Wood & Wood, 2009). Being a gambler

in a rural area has been shown to increase a number of risk factors, in particular the likelihood of

suicide (Battersby, Tolchard, Scurrah, & Thomas, 2006; Zhang & Wang, 2011). However, little

research is reported that examines increased risk of other health conditions in relation to gambling

in rural areas (Clarke, 2007; Nichols, Stitt, & Giacopassi, 2004). Gambling in rural communities

is an important issue globally, given the vulnerability to health concerns for people living in rural

communities and their low levels of access to appropriate healthcare. In order to advance the

discussion of gambling in rural areas, this paper examines these issues and provides a picture of

the prevalence and effects of gambling globally in rural settings.

A number of studies indicate that the introduction of gambling has led to serious problems

for rural communities, including prostitution (Carlson, 2012; Loo, Tsai, Raylu, & Oei, 2014),

organized crime (Chin & Finckenauer, 2011), greater financial hardship (Chen, Dowling, & Yap,

2012), relationship breakdowns (Nichols et al., 2004), and parental neglect (Loo, Tsai, Raylu, &

Oei, 2014; Nower & Blaszczynski, 2004). Gambling has been clearly linked to homelessness

(Cloke & Milbourne, 2006, p.63). In rural India, male gambling results in more pressure on
partners to take control of family affairs (Nandal, 2013). Rural women who experience lower

participation and prevalence of gambling need to protect the financial status of rural families

(Joffe, 2007). The existence of illegal gambling in rural areas is well documented (Desierto, Nye,

& Pamintuan, 2011; McElwee, Smith, & Somerville, 2014). Both crime and rising prostitution are

reported in a number of countries connected to both legal and illegal gambling activity (Cheng et

al., 2013; Richard, Blaszczynski, & Nower, 2014; Xiang, 2012). There is a large illegal gambling

market is reported in Viet Nam, which is further complicated by extensive money laundering by

organized crime syndicates known as the “Black Society” (Le, 2013). Crime is associated with the

introduction of gambling opportunities and is linked with other negative social issues such as

bankruptcies, destruction of family relationships, prostitution, divorce, and alcoholism (Back &

Lee, 2012; Bryceson & Jønsson, 2010).

There are connections between other forms of crime and gambling. Sales from illegal

hunting in South African game reserves are used pay for gambling (Grey-Ross, Downs, &

Kirkman, 2010), as well as to pay off gambling debts (Herbig & Warchol, 2011). Similar issues

are reported in other countries, including Algeria (Meddour-Sahar, Lovreglio, Meddour, Leone, &

Derridj, 2013) and Latin America (Ungar, 2013). Finally illegal blood sports, such as dog/cock-

fighting, still prevail in rural areas all over the world (McElwee, Smith, & Somerville, 2011)

including Australia (Mogbo, Oduah, Okeke, Ufele, & Nwankwo,2013), the USA (Davis, 2013;

Johnson, 2014), many parts of Asia (Bettencourt, Tilman, Henriques, Narciso, & Carvalho, 2013;

Li, 2014; Trémon, 2012), and the United Kingdom (Nurse, 2013). In summary, problems

associated with rural gambling are numerous including higher levels of crime, prostitution,

financial hardship, bankruptcy, and relationship breakdown.

On the other hand, Rural areas share many of the same benefits and problems associated

with the introduction of gambling opportunities (Basham & Luik, 2011). Certain rural gambling
activities, such as horse racing, are considered to provide strong social cohesion in rural

communities. In some cases, there is a boost to rural employment rates and a reduction in overall

deprivation because of increased wealth from gambling revenue (McManus et al., 2012; Wolfe et

al., 2010). There also is a downside when rural gambling draws solely from rural residents, with

little tourist involvement. Participation in gambling is generally higher in rural areas (Reith, 2006)

but, does not tend to translate into more problem or pathological gamblers (Dellis et al., 2013;

Edens & Rosenheck, 2012; Productivity Commission, 2010). Access and opportunity to gambling

activities remains the strongest predictor of problems in both urban and rural areas. Protective

factors in rural areas may include wider community cohesion, whereby people look out for one

another, and problematic gambling being identified earlier because the person is known by venue

staff (Pender et al., 2012). Gambling by certain population sub-groups is worse in rural settings.

In several countries, indigenous residents show higher prevalence rates for problem and

pathological gambling compared to non-indigenous residents in the same areas (Hing, Breen,

Gordon, & Russell, A., 2014; Westermeyer et al., 2005). Although informal gambling, such as card

playing, continues to be popular, legalized forms of gambling are beginning to alter the dynamic

so indigenous gamblers are now losing their money outside the community rather than it being

recycled by community members (Winchell, Ramsey, Abrams, Clark, & Evans, 2013). Both Rural

and urban youth are at a greater risk of problem gambling than adults (Raisamo, Halme, Murto, &

Lintonen, 2013). Again, there is higher participation in less formal gambling, mainly as a result of

controls on youth playing at legal gambling outlets (DiCicco-Bloom & Romer, 2012). Being

exposed to gambling by parents is associated with a greater risk among rural compared to urban

youth (Fabiansson, 2008). As with urban gambling, males in rural areas have higher participation

and prevalence rates of problem gambling compared to females (Welte et al., 2008). However,

there are specific issues that raise the vulnerability of rural females, particularly their level of

isolation (Fabiansson, 2006). Similar to youth gamblers, older rural residents show increased risk
for problem gambling. The desire for social engagement and reducing isolation are factors that

influence all older residents to participate in gambling, as it is for rural female gamblers generally

(Norris & Tindale, 2006). Gambling has been shown to increase negative social issues in rural

areas, including illegal activities and personal relationship problems (Chin & Finckenauer, 2011;

Nichols et al., 2004). Rural areas are often the target of organised crime, which introduce illegal

gambling events and combine it with other vices, such as prostitution (Desierto, et al., 2011;

McElwee, et al., 2014). Rural gamblers themselves turn to crime, in order to gamble or to pay off

gambling debts (Cheng, et al., 2013). Access to help is problematic in rural areas (Humphreys &

Lee, 2010; Park & Stokowski, 2009).

 Methodology

This study will focus on the number of crime rates with relation to illegal gambling in rural

and urban areas to determine the process and mechanisms that may lead them to gamble and

commit crimes. By using quantitative and qualitative approach on gamblers, the research will help

us measure their addiction and their craving to win on something. A few information from the

country’s regulation is also involve in this research to help us understand how illegal gambling

operate and open markets in the Philippines. Majority of the study will revolve around the

Philippines within at least 3 years of data from Police Data from crimes committed with relation

to illegal gambling both in rural and urban areas. Lastly, the research will require survey to an

individual with illegal gambling experiences to explain further the overall cycle from the beginning

up to the status that results to illegal gambling behavior and commission of crimes.