View source for Jueteng

{{short description|Numbers game played in the Philippines}}
[[File:Girl turns handle on bingo drum (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Jueteng is commonly played with the aid of a ''[[wikt:tambiolo|tambiolo]]''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Moreno |first=Federico B. |title=Philippine Law Dictionary |publisher=Rex Bookstore, Inc. |year=1988 |isbn=978-971-23-4911-9 |pages=153 |language=en |chapter=Chinese jueteng |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9kHxFAegYEsC&q=Jueteng+tambiolo&pg=PA153}}</ref>]]
{{Use Philippine English|date = January 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date = June 2020}}
'''Jueteng''' ({{IPA|tl|(h)wɛtɛŋ}}) is a [[numbers game]] played in the [[Philippines]]. First reported in the late 1800s while the Philippines was under Spanish rule, it was made illegal in 1907 after the [[United States]] occupied the Philippines. Despite this, and successive subsequent crackdowns, the game remains popular throughout [[Luzon]], while similar games exist in the rest of the Philippines.

The game is popular among many Filipinos, especially in poorer communities. Due to a low buy-in and the prospect of a relatively lucrative payout, it is appealing and often considered harmless fun. Individuals who collect bets, known as ''kubrador'',<ref group="note">In the [[Tagalog language]], words themselves do not change when made plural, but the use of ''[[wikt:mga|mga]]'' before the word pluralizes it. So, depending on context, ''kubrador'' can be either singular or plural. See also: [[Tagalog grammar]]; {{Format linkr|Grammatical_number#Number particles}}; [[Tagalog language#ng and mga|Tagalog language § ''ng'' and ''mga'']].</ref> are often considered trusted members of local communities. Different jueteng "lords" run their own competing games.

Enforcement of the game's illegality is often lax. Corruption is common, with police and government officials often being accused of running or benefiting from jueteng operations. One president of the Philippines, [[Joseph Estrada]], was [[Second EDSA Revolution|impeached, removed from office]], and [[Trial of Joseph Estrada|found guilty of plunder]], in part due to accepting bribes from jueteng lords. The Philippine government operates the [[Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office]] (PCSO) Small Town Lottery (STL) as a legal alternative to jueteng. However, corruption has led the PCSO to be accused of being a simple front for illegal jueteng operations.

Jueteng is very important to the Filipino [[informal economy]]. Jueteng operators and their staff were estimated to number 400,000 in 2009, and many rely on jueteng work for their livelihoods. [[Congress of the Philippines|Congress]] estimated the annual gross revenue of jueteng operators to be around {{Currency|1 billion||passthrough=yes}} in 2000. By 2019, this estimate had risen to {{Currency|1.4&nbsp;billion||passthrough=yes|linked=no}}.

==History==
Under [[Spanish colonial period of the Philippines|Spanish rule]], a lottery was run in Manila, although it is unclear whether it was approved via Madrid or developed locally. It is unclear when exactly the practice of jueteng began in the Philippines, but it was mentioned in the Penal Code of 1887,<ref name=":2">{{cite web|last=Pefianco|first=Romeo V.|date=2010-07-14|title=Lottery/jueteng since 1893|website=[[Manila Bulletin]] |url=http://mb.com.ph/articles/266906/lotteryjueteng-1893|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100719015035/http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/266906/lotteryjueteng-1893|archive-date=2010-07-19|accessdate=2012-09-19}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web|date=2019-07-29|title=Philippines: Illegal numbers game nets $1.4 billion annually|url=https://gulfnews.com/world/philippines-illegal-numbers-game-nets-14-billion-annually-1.1564381995821|access-date=2020-06-26|website=[[Gulf News]]|language=en}}</ref> which means it came to the Philippines around the 1800s. The use of Spanish-derived terms in the game suggest it developed under Spanish rule.<ref name="Dychiu"/> By 1893, jueteng tickets were openly sold on inter-island ships.<ref name=":2"/><ref name=":3"/> [[José Rizal]] is perhaps the most well-known early fan of jueteng: he won {{Currency|6200|PHP}} while in exile in [[Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte]], which he used in part to buy a [[José Rizal's farm|farm which is now a historical site]].<ref name=":02">{{Cite book|last=Locsin|first=Teodoro M.|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/36884621|title=Rizal|date=1996|publisher=[[University of Michigan]]|isbn=971-91399-2-7|pages=111|oclc=36884621|quote=[A] ticket he had in the Spanish lottery brought him 6,200 pesos. He bought more land [...] On these rich fields he planted coconut, hemp, sugar and fruit trees. He became a gentleman farmer.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Echeminada|first=Perseus|date=2010-11-30|title=Rizal a lottery winner in 1892|url=https://www.philstar.com/other-sections/news-feature/2010/11/30/634455/rizal-lottery-winner-1892|access-date=2020-06-28|website=[[The Philippine Star]]}}</ref>

The etymology of the word ultimately derives from [[Hokkien]] [[Chinese language|Chinese]], specifically the [[Quanzhou dialects|Quanzhou Hokkien dialect]] of which modern [[Philippine Hokkien]] is descended from. The game is sometimes referred to as "Chinese jueteng",<ref name=":0"/> when it was introduced during the [[History of the Philippines (1565–1898)|Spanish colonial times]]. In the 20th century games were often run by [[Chinese Filipino|Chinese]] immigrants, although by the end of the century locals had taken over.<ref name=":3" /> It is thought that the term could originate from two [[Chinese characters]], although opinions differ on which they were.<ref name="Saludo">{{Cite web|last=Saludo|first=Ricardo|date=2010-09-24|title=Should 'jueteng' be legalized?|url=https://www.pressreader.com/philippines/manila-times/20100924/281629596608083|url-access=limited|access-date=2020-06-28|website=[[The Manila Times]]|via=[[PressReader]]}}</ref><ref name="Perry">{{Cite web|last=Diaz|first=Perry|date=2010-07-24|title=Stop Jueteng: Mission Impossible?|url=https://globalbalita.com/2010/07/24/stop-jueteng-mission-impossible/|access-date=2020-06-28|website=Global Balita|series=PerryScope|language=en-US|archive-date=June 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630224032/https://globalbalita.com/2010/07/24/stop-jueteng-mission-impossible/|url-status=usurped}}</ref> When [[Chinese Filipino]] publications such as the ''[[World News (newspaper)|World News]]'' refer to the game, they use the term, "{{Lang|zh-CN|[[wikt:花|花]][[wikt:档|档]]}}" ({{lang-zh|t=[[wikt:花|花]][[wikt:檔|檔]]|poj=|l=|c=|s=[[wikt:花|花]][[wikt:档|档]]|p=}}),<ref>{{Cite web|date=2012-12-26|title=杜特尔特：联邦制将解决经济低迷|trans-title=Duterte: Federalism will solve the economic downturn|url=http://sjrb.ph/News?id=7h7EWnwQHGWClv6sSHwr4QKgb9|access-date=2020-06-28|website=[[World News (newspaper)|World News]]|publisher=Planetary Data Service Corporation [星球数据服务有限公司]|language=zh-CN|archive-date=June 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630035916/http://sjrb.ph/News?id=7h7EWnwQHGWClv6sSHwr4QKgb9|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2000-11-10|title=菲律宾总统首次承认接受老友700万贿金|trans-title=Philippine president admits accepting bribes of {{currency|7 million|PHP|passthrough=yes|linked=no}}|url=http://news.sina.com.cn/w/143829.html|access-date=2020-06-28|website=[[Phoenix Television]]|via=[[Sina News]]}}</ref> which means "[[flower shop]]" in [[standard Chinese]] ([[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]]).<ref>{{Cite web|title=花档|url=http://www.ichacha.net/zaoju/%E8%8A%B1%E6%A1%A3.html|access-date=2020-06-28|website=Zàojù Dictionary [造句词典]}}</ref> Although in 1977, a paper by Gloria Chan-Yap was made pointing to [[Hokkien in the Philippines|Hokkien]] [[Chinese language|Chinese]] as the source of the word, where the author pointed to the terms, "(hue {{Lang|zh-CN|[[wikt:花|花]]}} 'flower', tn {{Lang|zh-CN|[[wikt:檔|檔]]}} 'space')",<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Chan-Yap |first=Gloria |year=1977 |editor-last=Edrial-Luzares |editor-first=Casilda |editor2-last=Hale |editor2-first=Austin |title=Hokkien Chinese loanwords in Tagalog |url=https://www.sil.org/system/files/reapdata/10/23/25/102325434532460686121798952145796593575/SIPL_1_1_017_049.pdf |journal=Studies in Philippine Linguistics |publisher=Linguistic Society of the Philippines and Summer Institute of Linguistics |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=46 |issn=0119-6456}}</ref> though by 1980, the same author would release another paper revising her findings with a different [[Chinese characters|chinese character]], now recording "(huê {{Lang|zh-CN|[[wikt:花|花]]}} 'flower', tŋ̣̆ {{Lang|zh-CN|[[wikt:擋|擋]]}} 'space')".<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Chan-Yap |first=Gloria |year=1980 |title=Hokkien Chinese borrowings in Tagalog |url=http://www.sealang.net/archives/pl/pdf/PL-B71.pdf |journal=Pacific Linguistics |location=Canberra, A.C.T. 2600. |publisher=The Australian National University |volume=B |issue=71 |pages=145 |isbn=0-85883-225-9}}</ref> According to ([[Wang Li (linguist)|Wang]], 1982), "{{Lang|zh-CN|[[wikt:擋|擋]]}}" used to be written as "{{Lang|zh-CN|[[wikt:當|當]]}}",<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wang (王) |first=Li (力) |title=《同源字典》 |publisher=Commercial Press |year=1982 |location=Beijing |trans-title=Dictionary of Word Families}}</ref> and another author, [[E. Arsenio Manuel]], from 1948 did also propose the etymology of the word from [[Hokkien]] [[Chinese language|Chinese]] as "['''hoe'''(flower)-'''tng'''(pawn, bet)",<ref>{{Cite book |last=Manuel |first=E. Arsenio |title=Chinese elements in the Tagalog language |publisher=Filipiniana Publications |year=1948 |location=Manila |pages=27}}</ref> where the likely chinese characters being referred to would be [[Hokkien]] {{lang-zh|t=[[wikt:花當|花當]]|poj=hoe-tǹg|l=to spend and pawn|c=|s=|p=}}. Indeed as per [[Carstairs Douglas]] (1873), it can be found that in the [[Quanzhou dialects|Chinchew or Quanzhou dialect]] of [[Hokkien]] {{lang-zh|t=[[wikt:買|買]][[wikt:花當|花當]]|poj=bóe hoe-tǹg|c=|s=|p=}} means "to gamble in or buy into a game of jueteng".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Douglas |first=Carstairs |url=https://archive.org/stream/chineseenglishdict00doug/chineseenglishdict00doug#page/n172/mode/1up |title=Chinese-English Dictionary of the Vernacular or Spoken Language of Amoy |publisher=Presbyterian Church of England |year=1873 |location=London |pages=147 |language=nan, en |author-link=Carstairs Douglas}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Douglas |first=Carstairs |url=https://archive.org/stream/chineseenglishdict00doug/chineseenglishdict00doug#page/n537/mode/1up |title=Chinese-English Dictionary of the Vernacular or Spoken Language of Amoy |publisher=Presbyterian Church of England |year=1873 |location=London |pages=512 |language=nan, en |author-link=Carstairs Douglas}}</ref> Furthermore, it is revealed that in other dialects of [[Hokkien]] [[Sinitic languages|Chinese]], such as the [[Amoy dialect|Amoy or Xiamen dialect]], it is known more as [[Hokkien]] {{lang-zh|t=[[wikt:花會|花會]]|poj=hoe-hē|l=to meet and spend|c=|s=|p=}} and in the [[Zhangzhou dialects|Changchew or Zhangzhou dialect]] of [[Hokkien]] {{lang-zh|t=[[wikt:花會|花會]]|poj=hoa-hōe|l=to meet and spend|c=|s=|p=}}, from which hence the term ''"[[wikt:wahoy|wahoy]]"'' or ''"wahuy"'', another variant of jueteng, comes from.<ref name=":15">{{Cite book |last=Douglas |first=Carstairs |url=https://archive.org/stream/chineseenglishdict00doug/chineseenglishdict00doug#page/n149/mode/1up |title=Chinese-English Dictionary of the Vernacular or Spoken Language of Amoy |publisher=Presbyterian Church of England |year=1873 |location=London |pages=124 |language=nan, en |author-link=Carstairs Douglas}}</ref>

Douglas (1873) explains that there are 2 kinds of the gambling game, one played using an octangular [[teetotum]] with 5 to 8 characters (either [[Chinese characters|chinese character]] or drawings of old [[Historical figure|historical or legendary figures]] in [[History of China|Chinese history]]), while another has 37 characters (either [[Chinese characters|chinese character]] or drawings of old [[Historical figure|historical or legendary figures]] in [[History of China|Chinese history]]) on [[Playing card|cards]] and is played by shaking [[dice]] without a [[teetotum]].<ref name=":15" /> The latter game is where jueteng in the Philippines comes from as 37 is the traditional number of lottery balls or [[raffle]] tickets used to draw out a winning number, but now played with balls or raffle tickets in a [[Tombola (game)|tambiolo]] container that is spun or a bottle-shaped receptacle or small-necked [[Vial|phial]] receptacle that is shaken, instead of using dice and cards. The practice of using a [[Tombola (game)|tambiolo]] was introduced from [[Philippine Spanish|Spanish]], which calls it as ''"[[wikt:tómbola|tómbola]]"'', but the [[Spanish language|Spanish]] word and the practice itself in [[Spain]] traces back to [[Southern Italy]], which in Italian is called ''"[[wikt:tombola|tombola]]"''. The [[carnival game]] of [[Tombola (game)|tómbola]] in [[Spain]] also refers to the revolving container drum and the place where it is played.<ref>{{Cite web |year=2014 |title=tómbola |url=https://dle.rae.es/t%C3%B3mbola |website=Diccionario de la lengua española |publisher=Real Academia Española |edition=Vigésima tercera}}</ref> ''Tambiolo'', as a word, is basically ''"[[wikt:tómbola|tómbola]]"'' + the [[Italian language|Italian]] ''"[[wikt:-olo|-olo]]"'' [[Diminutive|diminutuve]] [[suffix]].

Owing to its history in [[mainland China]], specifically Coastal China, it was more popularly and historically known in {{lang-zh|t=[[wikt:花會|花會]]|poj=|l=flower meeting; ([[Figure of speech|figurative]]) to meet and spend|c=|s=|p=}}, read in [[Amoy dialect|Amoy]] [[Hokkien]] {{lang-zh|t=[[wikt:花會|花會]]|poj=hoe-hē|l=to meet and spend|c=|s=|p=}} and in [[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]] {{lang-zh|t=[[wikt:花會|花會]]|poj=|c=|s=|p=huāhuì}} and in [[Cantonese]] {{lang-zh|t=[[wikt:花會|花會]]|poj=|c=|s=|p=|j=faa<sup>1</sup> wui<sup>6-2</sup>}}. The [[gambling]] [[numbers game]] started out around the time of the early [[Ming dynasty|Ming Dynasty]] period and grew in popularity during the late [[Qing dynasty]] period and spread from [[Fujian]], [[Guangdong]], [[Guangxi]], [[Shanghai]], [[Zhejiang]], [[Jiangsu]], [[Tianjin]], [[Beijing]], and spread further across Inland China and abroad, such as in [[Geography of Taiwan|Taiwan]] and the [[Philippines]]. It was banned last in [[China]] in 1949, but the practice continued in secret under the [[informal economy]] and the authorities of [[British Hong Kong]] would crack down on the practice in 1975 by setting up government-run lotteries to regulate and compete against illegal private lotteries and allocate the proceeds for charity. In early 1985, [[Mainland China|mainland]] [[China]] authorities in [[Guangdong]] province also began to issue lottery tickets across the province, setting a precedent for the first government-run lottery since the founding of the [[China|PRC]] and regulating illegal informal private lottery activities.

When [[American colonial era in the Philippines|the Philippines became an American colony]], the government cracked down on jueteng.<ref name=":4">{{Cite court|litigants=United States v. Andres Pablo|court=[[Supreme Court of the Philippines]]|opinion=|pinpoint=G.R. No. L-11676|date=October 17, 1916|url=https://lawphil.net/judjuris/juri1916/oct1916/gr_l-11676_1916.html}} via [[Lawphil]].</ref><ref name=":5">{{cite book|last=McCoy|first=Alfred W.|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/37700349|title=Policing America's Empire: The United States, the Philippines, and the rise of the surveillance state|publisher=University of Wisconsin Press|year=2009|isbn=978-0-299-23414-0|pages=156–157}}</ref> In 1907, it was specifically made illegal by the colonial-era [[Philippine Legislature]] through [[List of Philippine laws#Abbreviations|Act]] No. 1757.<ref name="Dychiu">{{Cite web|last=Dychiu|first=Stephanie|date=2010-12-10|title=To real-life ''Kubrador'', life is worth jueteng for|url=https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/208000/news/specialreports/to-real-life-kubrador-life-is-worth-jueteng-for/|access-date=2020-06-28|website=[[GMA News Online]]|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite act|type=Act|index=1757|date=October 9, 1907|article=7|article-type=Section|legislature=[[Philippine Legislature]]|title=An act to prohibit gambling, to repeal Article 801 of the Civil Code and Articles 343 and 579 of the Penal Code.|url=https://lawphil.net/statutes/acts/act_1757_1907.html}}</ref> Since [[Philippine independence|independence]], various administrations have continued to try different tactics to end the practice, without success.<ref name=":6">{{Cite news|last=Banayo|first=Lito|date=2018-02-05|title=If you can't stop it...|pages=A4–A5|work=[[The Manila Standard]]|url=https://issuu.com/thestandardph/docs/ms_issue_dated_feb052018|access-date=2020-06-26|via=[[Issuu]]}}</ref> Jueteng existed even during the [[Martial law under Ferdinand Marcos|martial law era]], although not as openly.<ref name=":14" /> With the restoration of democracy, jueteng networks quickly expanded and became key sources of political information and support, up to the Presidential level. Finances from these networks served as an alternative source of power to state institutions thought still favorable to the martial law era, substituting for expenses that before martial law would have come through party finances. This link to power allowed local networks to consolidate into provincial and regional networks.<ref name="McCoy">{{cite book |last1=McCoy |first1=Alfred W. |title=An Anarchy of Families: State and Family in the Philippines |date=2009 |publisher=University of Wisconsin Press |isbn=9780299229849 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fawaNZu-yqUC |pages=xix-xxi}}</ref>

==Gameplay==
{{multiple image
|total_width = 400
|image1      = Kubrador.jpg
|caption1    = A ''kubrador'' plies his trade in [[San Juan, Ilocos Sur]]. He carries a notepad of all the bets he's collected that day, along with other supplies for playing jueteng.
|image2      = Jueteng numbers.jpg
|caption2    = A list of jueteng numbers from bettors in [[Baguio]] at different times of a single day.}}
Jueteng is a [[numbers game]].<ref name=":0" /> Before the game, jueteng solicitors, colloquially known as ''kubrador'' (''cobrador''), collect bets house to house.<ref name=":13" /><ref name=":7">{{Cite book|last=Vicente Chua Reyes Jr.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mf6rDwAAQBAJ&q=kubrador+kabo&pg=PA149|title=Networks of (Dis)Trust: The Impact of Automation, Corruption, and Media on Philippine Elections|date=2019-09-17|publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]]|isbn=978-1-4985-3413-0|pages=149|language=en}}</ref> They are supervised by higher level operators known as ''kabo'' (''cabo''),<ref name=":7" /> who are responsible for managing operations within a certain community.<ref name="Dychiu" /> At the top are the ''bankero'' (''banqueros''),<ref>{{Cite web|date=2004-02-28|title=Anak ng jueteng talaga!|trans-title={{literally}} Son of a jueteng [operator]!|url=https://www.philstar.com/opinyon/2004/02/28/240676/editoryal-anak-ng-jueteng-talaga-|access-date=2020-06-28|website=[[The Philippine Star]]|language=tl|quote=Ang perang pambili nila ng bigas at ulam ay naitataya pa sa pag-asang mananalo. Hindi nila alam, ang bankero ng jueteng ang yumayaman at ang mga mananaya ay nabaon sa utang. [The money they have for rice and meat goes instead to the hope of winning. They do not know, that the jueteng ''bankero'' will be the one to get rich, and they will be immersed in debt.]}}</ref><ref name=":5" />{{Rp|351}} also known as ''kapitalista'' (''capitalistas'')<ref name="Dychiu"/><ref>{{Cite web|last=Quejada|first=Butch M.|date=2020-01-17|title=Jueteng buhay na buhay, PNP tahimik?|trans-title=Jueteng alive as ever, yet PNP quiet?|url=https://www.philstar.com/pilipino-star-ngayon/opinyon/2020/01/17/1985414/jueteng-buhay-na-buhay-pnp-tahimik|access-date=2020-06-30|website=[[The Philippine Star]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Maslin|first=Zielfa B.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wRWxKsN5dcwC&q=jueteng+kapitalista&pg=PA304|title=Rosa|date=2013-06-12|isbn=978-1-4817-9580-7|pages=304|publisher=AuthorHouse |language=en}}</ref> or "jueteng lords".<ref name="MiniCoopers">{{Cite web|date=2019-09-28|title=Pampanga jueteng lord gave out Mini Coopers|url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/nation/09/28/10/pampanga-jueteng-lord-gave-out-mini-coopers|access-date=2020-06-28|website=[[ABS-CBN News]]|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Zafra|first=Galileo S.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-N-cNZ7fUOYC&q=jueteng+tambiolo+on+street&pg=PA15|title=Sawikaan 2005: mga salita ng taon|publisher=UP Press ([[University of the Philippines]])|year=2005|isbn=978-971-542-515-5|pages=15|language=tl|trans-title=Words of the year: 2005}}</ref>

Some ''kubrador'' may also erect stalls or kiosks on the street to attract bettors. The bettor picks two numbers from one to thirty-seven (in some versions, thirty-eight).<ref name=":11">{{Cite act|type=Republic Act|index=9287|date=April 2, 2004|article=|article-type=|legislature=Congress of the Philippines|title=An act increasing the penalties for illegal numbers games, amending certain provisions of Presidential Decree No. 1602, and for other purposes|url=https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2004/ra_9287_2004.html}}</ref>{{Rp|§2(b)}} Depending on the ''kubrador'', the game either occurs right then and there,<ref name=":4" /> or, more commonly, the ''kubrador'' will return later with any winnings.<ref name=":13" /><ref name=":14">{{Cite journal|last1=Desierto|first1=Desiree A.|last2=Nye|first2=John V. C.|last3=Pamintuan|first3=Jema M.|date=2011|title=The demand for unfair gambles: Why illegal lotteries persist|url=https://www.econstor.eu/handle/10419/46664|journal=UPSE Discussion Papers|publisher=[[University of the Philippines School of Economics]]|volume=2011|issue=3|pages=3–5}}</ref>

Bets can be as low as {{Currency|0.25|PHP|linked=no}},<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Luci-Atienza |first=Charissa |last2=Cahiles-Magkilat |first2=Bernie |date=August 3, 2019 |title=STL, jueteng, and why probe is underway |url=https://mb.com.ph/2019/08/03/stl-jueteng-and-why-probe-is-underway |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108015920/https://mb.com.ph/2019/08/03/stl-jueteng-and-why-probe-is-underway/ |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |access-date=December 17, 2024 |website=[[Manila Bulletin]] |language=en-US}}</ref> and it is usual for three games to take place each day.<ref name=":10"/> A bet of only {{Currency|1|PHP|linked=no}} can win between {{Currency|400|PHP|linked=no}} and {{Currency|1000|PHP|linked=no}},<ref name=":13" /><ref name=":8" /> with payout often depending on the number of entries.<ref name=":0"/> A ''[[wikt:tambiolo|tambiolo]]'' (lottery drum) is often used in conjunction with thirty-seven ''bolas'' (balls) to mix up the numbers.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite journal|date=2014-09-08|title=Consideration of House Bill No. 3587, entitled: An act prohibiting the establishment of political dynasties|url=http://www.congress.gov.ph/legisdocs/congrec/16th/2nd/16C_2RS-14-090814.pdf|journal=Congressional Record|language=fil|publisher=16th [[House of Representatives of the Philippines|House of Representatives]] (Second Regular Session)|volume=1|issue=14|pages=14|quote=Rep. [[Cristal Bagatsing]], Manila 5th District: Pambihirang  pangyayari  ito,  ginawa  ninyong  lotto  ang pagpili  ng  eleksyon,  ginawa  ninyong  bola  ng  jueteng  ang pagpili ng inyong public officials, inilagay mo ang kamay ng manghahalal sa tambiolo. Ganoon ba, Mr. Speaker?}}</ref> Despite this, cheating by the operators of the game is still possible.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Castañeda|first=Jing|date=2010-09-21|title=Kinumpirma ng mismong "bolero" kung paano ginagawa ang dayaan sa jueteng|trans-title='Bolero' details cheat technique in jueteng|url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/nation/09/21/10/bolero-details-cheat-technique-jueteng|access-date=2020-06-26|website=[[Patrol ng Pilipino]]|publisher=[[ABS-CBN News]]|language=tl}}</ref> Each of the numbers has a specific association within jueteng mythology.<ref name="Dychiu"/> Various [[superstition]]s exist as to which numbers should be chosen, and some ''kubrador'' even encourage such beliefs by offering to tell someone their lucky numbers based on their [[dreams]];<ref name=":13" /><ref>{{Cite news|last=Mydans|first=Seth|date=1987-12-20|title=Filipinos Bet On Dreams, But Illegally|language=en-US|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/20/world/filipinos-bet-on-dreams-but-illegally.html|access-date=2020-06-28|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> when a ''kubrador'' interprets signs for a bettor, this is called ''degla''.<ref name=":14" />

==Government responses==
Jueteng is officially illegal in the Philippines, though enforcement of the law is lax.<ref name=":10" /><ref name=":12">{{Cite web|last=Placido|first=Dharel|date=2019-07-04|title='Jueteng' a lesser evil compared to drugs: Dela Rosa|url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/04/19/jueteng-a-lesser-evil-compared-to-drugs-dela-rosa|access-date=2020-06-28|website=[[ABS-CBN News]]|language=en}}</ref> The decentralized nature of the game, and the multitude of operators, make it hard to eliminate. In some areas the game is run by government officials.<ref name="MiniCoopers"/> The penalties for playing jueteng are officially laid out in [[Republic Act]] 9287 (based on [[List of Philippine laws#Sources of Philippine laws|Presidential Decree]] 1602); for a simple bettor, the penalty is only thirty to ninety days in jail.<ref name=":11" />{{Rp|§3(a)}} Some, such as Justice [[Marvic Leonen]], have questioned the wisdom of going after jueteng bettors when other types of gambling, such as [[Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators]], are allowed to freely proliferate. This selectivity has also been criticized as it targets the activities of the poor and not that of the rich.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Buan|first=Lian|date=2020-05-02|title=Justice Leonen: Laws ban poor man's gambling, but POGOs allowed?|url=http://www.rappler.com/nation/259723-marvic-leonen-pogo-discrepancy-poor-man-gambling|access-date=2020-06-28|website=[[Rappler]]|language=en}}</ref> President [[Fidel V. Ramos]] suggested it should be legalized.<ref name=":2"/> Bills to this effect have even been introduced into the [[Congress of the Philippines]].<ref name="masiao">{{Cite web|date=2010-09-26|title=Of masiao and jueteng|url=https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2010/09/26/615170/editorial-masiao-and-jueteng|access-date=2020-06-28|website=[[The Philippine Star]]}}</ref>

Tackling jueteng was not seen as a priority by President [[Benigno Aquino III]]. However, he appointed [[Jesse Robredo]], who worked to eliminate jueteng in the [[Naga, Camarines Sur|City of Naga]] while he was its mayor,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Elona|first=Jamie Marie|date=2012-04-12|title=No more jueteng in Camarines Sur—Robredo|url=https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/175671/no-more-jueteng-in-camarines-sur%e2%80%94robredo|access-date=2020-07-10|website=INQUIRER.net|language=en}}</ref> as [[Secretary of the Interior and Local Government]].<ref name="Saludo2">{{cite news |url=https://www.manilatimes.net/2014/09/10/opinion/columnists/topanalysis/jueteng-kkk-escalate-crime-aquino/125790/ |title=Jueteng and 'KKK' escalate crime under Aquino |last=Saludo |first=Ricardo |work=The Manila Times |date=September 10, 2014 |accessdate=July 2, 2020}}</ref> In 2012 the [[Pangasinan]] police chief was fired by the national government for failing to stop gambling, after the Pangasinan Governor was accused of benefiting from jueteng.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.rappler.com/nation/18417-pangasinan-police-chief-relieved |title=Pangasinan police chief relieved |work=Rappler |date=December 22, 2012 |accessdate=July 2, 2020}}</ref> Six other police chiefs were also fired under similar circumstances.<ref name="SevenChiefs">{{cite news |url=https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/214305/in-the-know-government%E2%80%99s-anti-%E2%80%98jueteng%E2%80%99-drive |title=In The Know: Government's anti-'jueteng' drive |work=The Inquirer |date=June 18, 2012 |accessdate=July 2, 2020}}</ref> Following Robredo's death in a plane crash, jueteng reportedly expanded.<ref name="Saludo2"/>

President [[Rodrigo Duterte]] suggested the game should be legalized in 2016.<ref name=":6" /><ref>{{Cite web|last=Kritz|first=Ben D.|date=2016-06-18|title=Legalized 'jueteng' a terrible idea|url=https://www.manilatimes.net/2018/06/26/business/columnists-business/legalized-jueteng-a-terrible-idea/412676/|access-date=2020-06-28|website=[[The Manila Times]]|language=en-US|quote=President Duterte [...] doesn't often propose a truly hare-brained idea. His suggestion last Friday that the popular illegal numbers game jueteng be legalized, however, is definitely an exception.}}</ref> Duterte has however taking action against illegal gambling operations, which he accuses of being run under the facade of legitimate government operations.<ref name=":3"/> In 2018 Duterte suggested leaving jueteng out of his crackdown on illegal gambling,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/25/18/duterte-says-hell-keep-jueteng-for-now |title=Duterte says he'll keep 'jueteng' for now |work=ABS-CBN |date=June 25, 2018 |accessdate=July 2, 2020}}</ref> although this was quickly retracted.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/03/18/duterte-says-no-order-for-cops-to-go-slow-vs-jueteng |title=Duterte says no order for cops to go slow vs 'jueteng' |work=ABS-CBN |date=July 3, 2018 |accessdate=July 2, 2020}}</ref> In mid-2019 he again announced an easing of a crackdown against the game, citing its role in providing income, and fears those who lose that income would turn to activities such as the drug trade.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/04/19/jueteng-a-lesser-evil-compared-to-drugs-dela-rosa |title='Jueteng' a lesser evil compared to drugs: Dela Rosa |work=ABS-CBN |date=July 4, 2019 |accessdate=July 2, 2020}}</ref> Around the same time, police chiefs were declared responsible if jueteng operations continued to occur under their areas of jurisdiction.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/07/31/1939420/albayalde-police-chiefs-stop-jueteng-or-face-relief |title=Albayalde to police chiefs: Stop jueteng or face relief |work=PhilStar |date=July 31, 2019 |accessdate=July 2, 2020}}</ref>

=== Sanctioned jueteng{{Anchor|Small Town Lottery}} ===
{{Hatnote|See also: {{format linkr|PCSO_Lottery_Draw#Small_Town_Lottery_games}}}}[[File:Small Town Lottery.png|thumb|Logo of the [[Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office|PCSO]]'s Small Town Lottery]]
Although much has been tried to eradicate this form of unregulated gambling by the government, all such efforts have failed due to the game's widespread popularity.<ref name=":6" /> In 1987 under the Presidency of [[Corazon Aquino]], the [[Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office]] (PCSO) first sanctioned and began operating a similar game, called the "Small Town Lottery" (STL).<ref name=":9">{{Cite news|date=2015-11-11|title=IN THE KNOW: Small Town Lottery|url=https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/738547/in-the-know-small-town-lottery|access-date=2020-06-26|newspaper=[[Philippine Daily Inquirer]]|language=en}}</ref> This was meant to compete with illegal operations, and direct revenue from the games to the government.<ref name=":8"/> They increased the number that bettors have to choose from 37 to 40. This choice was made to seemingly detach STL's identity from that of jueteng and decrease the odds of winning. STL was suspended in 1990, following which an investigation by the [[House of Representatives of the Philippines|House of Representatives]] found that STL franchises were given to known jueteng operators. However, the game was revived in 2005, under the Presidency of [[Gloria Macapagal Arroyo]], following which it was asserted that jueteng operations increased.<ref name=":9" /> It was suspended by [[President Duterte]] for a month in 2019, with Duterte asserting "massive corruption" within the PCSO board.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Cruz|first=R. G.|date=2019-08-27|title=House probe on PCSO adjourns without corruption bombshell|url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/27/19/house-probe-on-pcso-adjourns-without-corruption-bombshell|access-date=2020-06-26|website=ABS-CBN News|language=en}}</ref> The Philippine National Police reported a rise in jueteng operations during this time.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2019/7/29/PCSO-lotto-STL-jueteng.html |title=PNP wary of jueteng resurgence amid PCSO gaming suspension |work=CNN Philippines |date=July 29, 2019 |accessdate=July 2, 2020 |archive-date=July 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190729173302/https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2019/7/29/PCSO-lotto-STL-jueteng.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Individuals who relied on the STL for income stated they would be forced to return to jueteng if the STL remained closed.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1149022/jobless-stl-collectors-mull-return-to-jueteng |title=Jobless STL collectors mull return to 'jueteng' |last=Mallari Jr. |first=Delfin T.  |work=The Inquirer |date=August 2, 2019 |accessdate=July 2, 2020}}</ref>

It has been asserted that illegal jueteng games were also run through branches and staff of the PCSO.<ref name=":3"/> The [[Commission on Audit of the Philippines|Commission on Audit]] estimates that corrupt PCSO STL practices cost the government a combined {{Currency|14.9&nbsp;billion|PHP|linked=no|passthrough=yes}} in missing receipts in 2017 and 2018.<ref name=":8" /> The [[Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines]] has come out against the STL.<ref name=":9" />

STL, along with other PCSO lottery games, was suspended in Luzon during the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines|COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Caliwan|first=Christopher Lloyd|date=2020-03-17|title=PCSO suspends lotto draws, games amid Covid-19 threat|url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1096945|access-date=2020-06-28|website=[[Philippine News Agency]]|language=en}}</ref>

===Politicians and unsanctioned jueteng===
One study estimated that a third of all money collected goes to the operators, with another third going to bribes for police and politicians.<ref name=":10"/> The Catholic Church in the Philippines has admitted to receiving proceeds from gambling.<ref name="Perry"/> One of the suggested reasons for legalization was to eliminate repeated corruption scandals emphasizing the apparent inability of the ban to be enforced, and the significant drain on police resources created by the need for enforcement. It has been compared to the tribulations in the United States regarding their [[Prohibition in the United States|prohibition of alcohol]].<ref name="Saludo"/>

The [[Presidency of Corazon Aquino|Corazon Aquino administration]] was closely tied to jueteng networks, with her antigambling enforcer later confessing to collecting finances from jueteng operators.<ref name="McCoy"/>

Former [[Puerto Princesa]] Mayor [[Edward Hagedorn]] has admitted to being a former jueteng operator, and used connections and funds developed from the industry to win the mayoral election in 1992. He claimed to have halted operations upon becoming mayor, while hiring former jueteng workers through the city government.<ref name="Quismundo">{{cite news |url=https://globalbalita.com/2011/01/29/aquino-gets-masters-tips-on-how-to-beat-jueteng/ |title=Aquino gets master's tips on how to beat jueteng |last=Quismundo |first=Tarra |newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer |date=January 29, 2011 |accessdate=July 2, 2020 |archive-date=July 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703234749/https://globalbalita.com/2011/01/29/aquino-gets-masters-tips-on-how-to-beat-jueteng/ |url-status=usurped }}</ref>

In an impeachment trial running from December 2000 to January 2001, President [[Joseph Estrada]] was charged with "bribery", "graft and corruption", "betrayal of public trust", and "culpable violation of the Constitution". The accusations against him included accepting over {{currency|10&nbsp;million|PHP|passthrough=yes|linked=no}} in the three years from 1998 to 2000 from jueteng lords.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2012-01-16|title=Fast Facts: Estrada Impeachment Trial|url=https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/128607/fast-facts-estrada-impeachment-trial|access-date=2020-06-26|newspaper=[[Philippine Daily Inquirer]]|language=en}}</ref> After the trial collapsed following his impeachment,<ref name="Mogato">{{Cite news|last=Mogato|first=Manny|date=2007-09-12|title=Philippines' Estrada guilty of plunder, gets life|language=en|work=[[Reuters]]|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-philippines-estrada-idUSMAN8545820070912|access-date=2020-06-26}}</ref> protests broke out and he was [[Second EDSA Revolution|ousted from power]] after the army withdrew support for him in 2001. He was succeeded by his vice-president, [[Gloria Macapagal Arroyo]], who had previously resigned from his cabinet in protest.<ref name="LookingBack">{{cite news |url=https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/flashback/158523-look-back-edsa-ii-joseph-estrada-gloria-arroyo |title=Looking back at EDSA II: The political paths of Estrada and Arroyo |work=Rappler |date=January 17, 2017 |accessdate=July 2, 2020}}</ref> He was later [[Trial of Joseph Estrada|taken to trial]] and charged with four counts of corruption. On September 12, 2007, he was found guilty of plunder on two counts, including receiving payoffs from illegal gambling.<ref name="Mogato"/>

President Arroyo had close ties with a jueteng family from Pampanga.<ref name="McCoy"/> She became enmeshed in her own political scandal in June 2005, after allegations emerged that some of her relatives, including [[Jose Miguel Arroyo|her husband]], [[Mikey Arroyo|son]], and [[Iggy Arroyo|brother-in-law]], were involved in jueteng operations. This was viewed by some as an exacerbating overall corruption within the country.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Malig|first=Jojo|date=2011-09-03|title=Arroyo knew husband involved in syndicates, US cable says|url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/-depth/09/03/11/arroyo-knew-husband-involved-syndicates-us-cable-says|access-date=2020-06-26|website=ABS-CBN News|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Hookway|first=James|date=2005-05-30|title=Lottery Allegations Threaten Arroyo Office|language=en-US|work=Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB111741270378346083|access-date=2020-06-28|issn=0099-9660}}</ref> Arroyo announced her husband would leave the country in an effort to reduce pressure on her to resign.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Conde|first=Carlos H.|date=2005-06-30|title=Arroyo sends her husband into exile|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/30/world/asia/arroyo-sends-her-husband-into-exile.html|access-date=2020-06-28|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Arroyo faced multiple impeachment attempts on similar grounds to Estrada. Six weeks after Estrada was convicted, Arroyo pardoned him.<ref name="LookingBack"/> Hagedorn briefly served under Arroyo as an anti-gambling czar.<ref name="Quismundo"/>

== Participation ==
A 2005 [[Social Weather Stations]] survey found that over half of all adult Filipinos had engaged in some form of gambling over the previous year. Jueteng was the second most popular form of gambling overall, being second for women and fourth for men. The survey estimated this meant 6.9&nbsp;million had played Jueteng, including 3.7&nbsp;million (15% of) men and 3.2&nbsp;million (13% of) women. Despite its popularity, most people reported it as extensively damaging public morality, with a majority feeling this even among non-jueteng playing gamblers. There was also an absolute majority against legalization.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|last=Mangahas|first=Maher|date=2010-10-02|title=A survey on gambling|newspaper=[[Philippine Daily Inquirer]]|url=https://www.pressreader.com/philippines/philippine-daily-inquirer-1109/20101002/281745560732893|url-access=limited|access-date=2020-06-26|via=[[PressReader]]}}</ref>

The low cost of a ticket leads many to consider the gambling relatively harmless,<ref name=":13"/> with no-one clearly suffering due to the practice.<ref name=":6"/> It is even often seen as a community activity. Due to the illegality of the game and the subsequent opaqueness and lack of a formal structure, a high degree of trust by the bettor in their ''kubrador'' is required. This trust is in part due to their being members of the community. Some inherit the job directly from their parents, while others are chosen due to already being a trusted member of the community.<ref name=":13"/> Such trust can lead to ''kubradors'' being relied on for other tasks, such as collecting donations for sick individuals.<ref name="Dychiu"/> Trust is also required in the people running the particular jueteng game, lest bettors switch to another jueteng lord.<ref name=":13"/> If such a switch occurs, the new lords often hire the existing ''kubradors'' due to their existing integration into the communities.<ref name=":7"/>

As there is no limit on how few or many bets can be taken in one game, and the odds of winning are more achievable than a traditional lottery but still long enough that a significant amount can be won, the game is very appealing to Filipinos living in poverty.<ref name=":13">{{cite web|year=1995|title=Jueteng is Embedded in Local Culture|url=http://pcij.org/stories/1995/jueteng3.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010717173729/http://www.pcij.org/stories/1995/jueteng3.html|archive-date=2001-07-17|accessdate=2020-06-26|website=[[Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism]]}}</ref><ref name=":10">{{Cite news|last=Greenlees|first=Donald|date=2006-09-22|title=Illegal? Numbers game still wins Filipinos' bets|language=en-US|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/22/world/asia/22iht-game.2902176.html|access-date=2020-06-26|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> While the payouts are not high, they can be extremely significant for those [[Poverty in the Philippines|living in poverty]].<ref name=":10"/>

Jueteng is very important to the Filipino [[informal economy]]; [[Congress of the Philippines|Congress]] estimated the annual gross revenue of jueteng operators to be around {{Currency|1 billion||passthrough=yes}} in 2000.<ref name=":5" /> The estimated value of {{currency|38&nbsp;billion|PHP|passthrough=yes|linked=no}} in 2010 exceeded the {{currency|30&nbsp;billion|PHP|passthrough=yes|linked=no}} brought in by the government-run [[Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation]].<ref name="Dychiu"/>

By 2019, this estimate had risen to {{Currency|1.4&nbsp;billion||passthrough=yes|linked=no}}, with operations earning up to {{currency|200&nbsp;million|PHP|passthrough=yes|linked=no}} of revenue daily in [[Luzon]].<ref name=":3" /> Jueteng operators and their staff were estimated to number 400,000 in 2009.<ref name=":5" /> At one point, it was estimated that 20,000 people in [[San Fernando, Pampanga]], alone derived their primary income from the game. Through commissions, a ''kubrador'' may earn up to {{currency|200|PHP|passthrough=yes|linked=no}} daily.<ref name=":10"/> Some even take 10% of winnings.<ref name=":2"/>

Jueteng has spread to Filipino communities in [[Italy]].<ref name=":6"/><ref>{{cite news |url=https://manilastandard.net/opinion/columns/so-i-see-by-lito-banayo/314883/jueteng.html |title=Jueteng |last=Banayo |first=Lito |work=Manila Standard |date=15 January 2020 |accessdate=1 July 2020}}</ref>

===Similar games===
While Jueteng is mostly popular in Luzon, a related numbers game, played predominately in Visayas and Mindanao, is known as masiao.<ref name="masiao"/> Masiao originally was played based on radio broadcasts announcing the winning players in [[jai alai]]. However, as jai alai's popularity has waned, illegal masiao operators now often base their winning numbers on the official ones announced by the PCSO.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Wenceslao|first=Bong O.|date=2015-11-13|title=Masiao craze of old|url=https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/42420|access-date=2020-06-28|website=[[SunStar Cebu]]|language=en}}</ref> Other similar games played in Mindanao are "last-two" and "suer-tres".<ref name=":6"/> Following a drop on jueteng participation in [[Pangasinan]] during 2010, gambling operators shifted to jai alai.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/nation/12/17/12/bagmen-collected-jueteng-cash-3-kings |title=Bagmen collected jueteng cash for 3 Kings |work=ABS-CBN |date=December 17, 2012 |accessdate=July 2, 2020}}</ref>

== In popular culture ==
The 2006 film ''[[The Bet Collector|Kubrador]]'' by [[Jeffrey Jeturian]] centers on an aging bet collector (played by [[Gina Pareño]]) who finds her mundane existence suddenly transformed by an unforeseen series of events as she seeks players for the illegal game of jueteng she helps operate.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Huang|first=Allen|date=2007-06-23|title=The Bet Collector / Kubrador (2006) Film Review|url=https://redefinemag.net/2007/the-bet-collector-kubrador-film-review/|access-date=2020-06-26|website=[[Redefine (magazine)|Redefine]]|language=en-US}}</ref> This was based on a real-life ''kubrador'', and female [[informal settler]] who moved to the capital and spent 30 years in the industry. This individual provided information to the film's production team, however she did not attend the film's premier for fear of being arrested.<ref name="Dychiu"/>

The Tagalog term ''anak ng jueteng'', meaning "son of a gambler", is similar to the English slang "[[son of a gun]]".<ref name="Perry"/>

== See also ==
* [[Gambling in the Philippines]]

== Notes ==
<references group="note" />

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Numbers game]]
[[Category:Gambling in the Philippines]]