How to Play e-Sabong (Pitmasters) in GCash Without Fuss

EDIT: As the President has declared a stop to all things e-sabong, this post would not be updated until it comes back.

They say that sabong is the official pastime for many Filipinos (alongside basketball), as anyone can partake of it. Poor Filipinos raise their own cocks to be able to get a chance to win big. Rich Filipinos as well, they have breeding farms and go big to win big. Sabong predates even before the Spanish colonial period. Currently, it is one of the legalized forms of gambling in the Philippines — earning lots of revenue for Pagcor.

In GLife, InPlay is another similar mini-app that allows you to play in an online casino.

Before it was hard to join in games as you needed to go to arenas and OTBs to be able to bet on games, especially due to the pandemic. But now, since everything is online, the hard parts — betting and watching, can be done online as well, with the help of online transactions and streaming.

A word of caution though: As this is considered gambling, I would not recommend this as a source of investment. You can do this with some play money, but moderation is always recommended. Only risk money you intend to lose.

As an aside, if you really want to dive into this fascinating Filipiniana experience, nothing beats doing it in the provinces as this is still practiced all throughout the rural Philippines. In e-sabong, most of the culture is lost, and only the fringes remain, unfortunately.

For beginners, here are some terminologies to help you with the immersion of experience:

1. Talpak - the term used to play sabong
2. Meron - side of the ring where there is a higher initial bet
3. Wala - side of the ring opposite Meron
4. Llamado - the favorite to win
5. Dehado - the underdog (or under-cock)
6. Kristos - the bet takers (because they call for bets with arms wide open, just like crucifixes)
7. Sentenciador - the referee
8. Tari - the "gaff" or the blade attached to the leg of the gamecocks
9. Ulutan - pairing of cocks based on weight and other factors
10. Tabla - a tie; usually when there's no clear winner

How do I play an e-Sabong game in GCash?

Pitmasters is an application in GLife where you can play games easily. The requirements are only that you need to be fully verified, and that you are 21 years old and over. GCash has strict know-your-customer (KYC) rules as mandated by the BSP so think twice before trying to trick the system.

To start, you need to go to GLife, and under the Gaming Category, click on Pitmasters.

You will need to wait for an event before you can top up. You’ll be able to see if there is one in the Fight Schedule section. Usually, there is one event per day, there are hundreds of fights in an event and you can bet on each match. The hours usually are 8 AM-5 PM, but there are also some off-hour events that run in the early morning.

How do I top up in Pitmasters?

Click on the top-up button and select an amount to top up. Each point is worth Php 1.00. The amount is taken from your GCash balance, so make sure you have enough funds at first. You can always add funds to your GCash account via our cash-in channels.

Top-up and Cash-in Transaction Limits

Please take note that GCash has transaction limits, meaning cashing in (cash going into GCash) and topping up (balance going into Pitmasters from GCash) each contributes to input and output limits respectively.

There are also limits from within Pitmasters itself. You can only top up a maximum of Php 100k per transaction, Php 200k per event, and once per minute.

Once you’ve selected and confirmed the amount, you will be seeing it reflected on the main page.

How can I play in Pitmasters?

You need to top up first before you can play. Once you click on Play, you will be redirected to the WPC live site.

You will be able to see the matches before it starts, where you can bet on “Meron”, “Draw”, or “Wala” with the topped-up balance or your winnings. The minimum bet is always Php 100, the same as the minimum top-up amount. The maximum bet is Php 20k.

If your chosen cock wins, your winnings will be credited to your account. Matches last less than 10 minutes so you can keep on betting as long as you still have credits.

How do I withdraw my funds from Pitmasters?

You need to go back to the Pitmasters GLife app and click on Withdraw on the main page. You can select how much you can withdraw.

Withdrawal and Cash-in Transaction Limits

Take note that withdrawals (balance going from Pitmasters into GCash) are considered cash-in transactions and contribute to GCash input limits.

There are also limits with withdrawals from within Pitmasters itself. You can only withdraw a maximum of Php 20k per transaction, Php 100k per event, and once every 15 minutes.

Please remember that you may win big amounts, but you may not be able to withdraw all of them. So it would be best to stagger huge sums in withdrawal if possible.

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Other Questions

Can you bet on more than one outcome during a match?

No, you can only choose one between MERON, WALA, and DRAW.

I had issues with topping up and withdrawing. What support channel can I contact?

You can send support tickets at Pitmaster’s official support portal.

Why can’t I withdraw? It says “Withdrawal is temporarily unavailable”.

There is most likely a technical issue with withdrawal. It would be better to withdraw at a later time. Do not worry as your funds are safe.

Think of it this way: it is better to disable withdrawals proactively, rather than lose users’ money due to an issue during a withdrawal.

Why do I encounter an “access denied” error?

You will need to confirm with GCash your actual age as you may have been blocked due to your submitted KYC verification information. You can file a GCash support ticket.

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Summary

One of the games of chance hidden in GLife is the Pitmasters application. This allows you to bet on e-sabong games without going to arenas or OTBs. You will need to be fully verified in GCash, and over 21 years of age to join.

As this is inside the GCash ecosystem, topping up and withdrawals can be done easily at the press of a button. This makes everything, from betting to watching easily accessible.

If you want to check out an online casino in GLife, you can check out my InPlay post as well.

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