High stakes in Manila

High stakes in Manila

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When paying your final respects to a relative or friend, the last thing you might expect to see at the wake is people placing bets on a card game or bingo. Not in the Philippines.

Making wagers at games such as sakla, the Philippine version of Spanish tarot cards, is particularly common at wakes, because the family of the deceased gets a share of the winnings to help cover funeral expenses.

. MANILA, Philippines. REUTERS/Erik De Castro

"It has its functions, it is a way of keeping mourners around," said Randolf "Randy" David, a sociology professor at the University of the Philippines, adding that small syndicates often operate such games, moving from one wake to another.

. MANILA, Philippines. REUTERS/Erik De Castro
A gambler shows coins used in a local illegal game called kara y kruz.

In Manila streets and back alleys, dozens of men huddle together to stare at bulky, older televisions at an off-track betting station for horse racing, or the Basque hard-rubber ball game of jai-alai.

Here, stakes of as little as two pesos (4 US cents) can earn thousands.

. MANILA, Philippines. REUTERS/Erik De Castro

Philippine men and women also like to bet on a hugely popular, illegal numbers game called jueteng, with collectors going around villages and markets to gather wagers as small as one peso, returning a few hours later to pay winners.

Jueteng played a big part in the ousting of then President Joseph Estrada in 2001, when he was accused of taking kickbacks and allowing operations of gambling syndicates.

. MANILA, Philippines. REUTERS/Erik De Castro

In a country where two-fifths of the population lives on less than $2 a day, one game that cuts across economic classes is cockfighting.

Most weekends traffic slows to a stop near the arenas. The mix of spectators is evident even outside the venue, where luxury cars are parked beside rundown vehicles and motorbike taxis.

. MANILA, Philippines. REUTERS/Erik De Castro

Carmelo Lazatin, 80, a former congressman from the northern province of Pampanga, owns about 800 fighting cocks and an arena.

Cockfighting is a national pastime, he says, that survives because the games run just a few hours and people do not lose their heads over the sport.

"Some people commit suicide because of casinos," he said. "There's none of that in cockfighting."

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Slideshow

Residents play pool on a carom board.
. MANILA, Philippines. REUTERS/Erik De Castro

Residents play pool on a carom board.

Men play basketball in a makeshift court while gamblers look on.
. MANILA, Philippines. REUTERS/Erik De Castro

Men play basketball in a makeshift court while gamblers look on.

A teenager bets on a numbers game.
. MANILA, Philippines. REUTERS/Erik De Castro

A teenager bets on a numbers game.

A card dealer shuffles a deck next to his son during a local version of poker known as pusoy.
. MANILA, Philippines. REUTERS/Erik De Castro

A card dealer shuffles a deck next to his son during a local version of poker known as pusoy.

A casino financier counts money she collected from a gambler.
. MANILA, Philippines. REUTERS/Erik De Castro

A casino financier counts money she collected from a gambler.

A casino trainee demonstrates how to play a slot machine.
. MANILA, Philippines. REUTERS/Erik De Castro

A casino trainee demonstrates how to play a slot machine.

Casino trainees practise on a roulette table.
. MANILA, Philippines. REUTERS/Erik De Castro

Casino trainees practise on a roulette table.

Gamblers play a Spanish card game known locally as sakla in an underground casino.
. MANILA, Philippines. REUTERS/Erik De Castro

Gamblers play a Spanish card game known locally as sakla in an underground casino.

Residents play Russian poker.
. MANILA, Philippines. REUTERS/Erik De Castro

Residents play Russian poker.

Women play bingo.
. MANILA, Philippines. REUTERS/Erik De Castro

Women play bingo.

Residents play mahjong.
. MANILA, Philippines. REUTERS/Erik De Castro

Residents play mahjong.

A gambler writes down his horse racing bet.
. MANILA, Philippines. REUTERS/Erik De Castro

A gambler writes down his horse racing bet.

An audience watches a cockfighting match.
. MANILA, Philippines. REUTERS/Erik De Castro

An audience watches a cockfighting match.