The House Always Wins

Mika Sabariaga
“The house always wins” is a saying in casinos that tells all gambling is designed so that the house (the casino
owners) will always net a profit, regardless of the successes of the patrons.
This project is a continuation from my previous work “Same Place, Different Time” that practices multiple
exposure. It revolves around the subject about the transformation of different spaces after the Chinese
occupancy and POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator) rising.
People from these places tend to feel out of place when hardware stores turn into Chinese local restaurants,
buildings start to rise, and signages all over in full Chinese character come out. Everywhere you look, there is at
least a Chinese local nearby. In addition to the tax issues, POGOs have also brought other aspects of governance
into the mix, including human trafficking, money laundering and other seedy behaviors that have been tied to
POGOs. These POGOs are illegal in their home country yet our government tolerates this agenda.
Problem
• The nature of photography has been established as a realistic medium. Its documentary form makes it special,
giving us a glimpse and often a way of finding out about the world. But how confident are we to realize that
images we see are just a glimpse of a lot of surface space as we think?
“A map is a composite of places, and like a place, it hides as much as it reveals. It is also a composite of times, blandly laying
out on a single surface the results of billions of years of years of activities by nature and humanity.” Lucy Lippard, The lure of
the local.
• With the images taken along Quirino Avenue and Cavite, how do we verify the drastic changes caused by the
Chinese in the places through photographs using the archived images? How do we see the different sides of
the coin?
Objective:
• To create a visual story that previews and justifies the effect of these
POGO’s in our society.
• To create a representation of each component of the issue
• To create a comparison between what has been and what is in the
place.
• To lay out both sides of the issue and let the audience create their own
judgement.
Background
• “In place, but out of place” is a continuation project from my previous work “Same Place, Different Time”
that practices multiple exposure.
• It revolves around the subject about the transformation of different spaces after the Chinese occupancy
• It is a juxtaposition of images taken from 2015 and to 2021 to showcase the difference that took place in a
span of 5 years. It somehow gives us a preview of what used to be there.
• It connects to the story of the place (Quirino Ave.) itself which year by year turned into a different world.
Basically, it came with an idea based on the multi-layered aspect of space to capture images from different
times and compose them in a single frame.
THE PROJECT
Concept
• “The house always wins” is an installation work that tackles different issues that
surround the POGO industry. It gives us a preview of the spaces occupied by these
POGO’s and the possible surrounding effects of these businesses not only in our
society but also the future. Even though it is in place, the installation shows us the
contrary.
• The installation shows how our country, like these POGO’s, is in the middle of
gamble. We manage to let them in without even realizing the effects they might
give.
• It is a two-side coin
Scope
• Money Laundering
• Prostitution
• Gambling
• Discrimination
• Drastic Changes
• Exclusivity/confinement
Conclusive insights
Even though these POGO’s are visible, it is highly recommended to
gather more information and expand the research to further the
execution and achieve the objectives without prejudice.
It is quite challenging given the circumstances of pandemic and high
security
Ongoing and Future Plans
• Design a game
• Create an online Gambling Application specifically made to fulfil the
objectives.
• Expand and update the images
• Try to come up with virtual alternatives