Proem

Gambling is the betting of money or valuables on the outcome of some future events that is more or less unpredictable. Gambling is as old as recorded history. The Roman historian Tacitus tells of Romans and Germans gambling themselves into financial ruin.

The Boholanos are no exception. There are Boholanos who want to gamble. The gambling fad nowadays is the swertres. (Spanish: suerte + tres = lucky three).

SWERTRES

Swertres is based on the Lotto draw of three successive numerals that may appear based on the numbers from 0 to 9. Since there will be repetition of numbers, the possible combinations will be 1,000. Prior to the swertres, the fad was masiao. It was based on the result of the Jai Alai game that results only in three numbers from 1 to 10.

Since there will be no repetition of numbers the possible combinations will be 720. The winnings in swertres and masiao are the same. If you bet P1 you will win P400.

However, both swertres and masiao are illegal.

If you bet in thee legal lucky three in Lotto, the minimum bet is P10 and the winnings will depend upon the ratio of the total bet. In swertres and masiao the minimum bet is P1 but some financers will take any amount. This low minimum bet is what attracted the low-income bettors to the swertres. Also, in swertres the collector will come to you while in the Lotto you will travel in order to place your bet.

TAHUR

The Church is against gambling. The police are conducting campaigns against illegal gambling. No matter these campaigns, the illegal numbers game still thrives. Why?

One reason is social in origin. In our Bisayan languge, the word tahur is someone who is dignified in appearance, of high social standing, and well respected. Do you know that the original Spanish word tahur means gambler? In fact it is the kind of gambler who has a tendency to cheat. Why is it that when the word is used in Bisayan, tahur becomes respectable?

During the Spanish era in the Philippines, the Spaniards and the upper class of society were the greatest gamblers. During social gatherings the Spanish priest, the Alferez, the Spanish residents, and the upper class will gather in a place to gamble. They would be "dressed to kill." In the cockpit, these types of gamblers are seated separately in a prominent place. In today's parlance, they are called puntos.

Since the common people did not understand the Spanish language, they thought that the word tahur refer to people who are in the upper class of society and will always dress properly and not the gambling activity.

However, the people would not fail to observe the gambling activity. Eventually the word tahur became respectable to the common people together with the gambling.

Nobody will arrest the tahur because it includes the alferez, which is equivalent to the present day police chief.

Nowadays, many people will emulate the tahur and to their mind gambling is okay and respectable. Therefore, unless the word tahur will return to its original meaning, it would be very difficult to stamp out gambling.

Why Do People Gamble?

There are many reasons why people gamble. There are those who gamble for entertainment. There are those who gamble to obtain wealth the fast way. There are those who gamble to become socially respectable. There are those who gamble out of desperation with the hope that the winnings can lift him out of his misery. There are those who gamble as a profession.

Since the government legalizes some form of gambling and makes other gambling as illegal, the morality angle of gambling is now destroyed. Since socially the tahur is respectable, then gambling is also received as respectable. Unless the government can rationalize the legal and illegal gambling and the tahur, police drive against illegal gambling will always go to naught.