Probe on game fixing issue urged
TWO senators urged the need to dig deeper into the issue of game fixing saying this should stop once and for all.
Senator Christopher Bong Go, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Sports, who is conducting an investigation said the allegations of game fixing is really alarming in professional and amateur sports.
Go who considered the game fixing as alarming divulged that one of the problems in game fixing is the reluctance of witnesses to come forward and present proof that games are indeed being manipulated.
But despite this, he said, the Games and Amusement Board (GAB) had already filed 32 cases against players, including those from the professional basketball leagues since 2021. He said the National Bureau of Investigation had also pursued cases in 2019 due to the willingness of witnesses to testify.
“We hope to uncover allegations of game fixing in this hearing. Last hearing, we found out that referees in some leagues received small allowances. This is one aspect we should also look into,” Go said.
The senator from Davao said the committee had conducted the hearing to study possible amendments to the law to preserve the integrity of the games as well as elevate the credibility and image of Filipino athletes
Senator Jose Jinggoy Estrada expressed strong support for Senator Go as he underscores the importance of the ongoing inquiry by the Committee on Sports on alleged incidents of game fixing in professional and amateur sports to craft and institute effective policies against it.
“We will be happy to receive your inputs and actual experiences about alleged incidents of game-fixing so we can further strengthen the current mechanisms and craft a potent measure against this menace,” Estrada told resource persons present during the continuation of the Senate committee hearing on the reported game-fixing Wednesday, March 20, 2024.
Both senator expressed belief that game fixing which is defined as the act of playing with the intention of achieving pre-determined result, totally violate the fairness and rules of the game and the law itself.
