Jueteng () is a
numbers game
The numbers game, also known as the numbers racket, the Italian lottery, Mafia lottery or the daily number, is a form of illegal gambling or illegal lottery played mostly in poor and working class neighborhoods in the United States, wherein a be ...
played in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
. First reported in the late 1800s while the Philippines was under Spanish rule, it was made illegal in 1907 after the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
occupied the Philippines. Despite this, and successive subsequent crackdowns, the game remains popular throughout
Luzon
Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...
, 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'',
[In the ]Tagalog language
Tagalog (, ; ; '' Baybayin'': ) is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by the ethnic Tagalog people, who make up a quarter of the population of the Philippines, and as a second language by the majority. Its standardized form, ...
, words themselves do not change when made plural, but the use of ''mga MGA can refer to:
Transport
*MGA, IATA code for Augusto C. Sandino International Airport (Managua International Airport) in Managua, Nicaragua
*Monongahela Railway, a former coal-hauling short line railroad in the United States
*The MG MGA, a pop ...
'' before the word pluralizes it. So, depending on context, ''kubrador'' can be either singular or plural. See also: Tagalog grammar
Tagalog grammar (Tagalog: ''Balarilà ng Tagalog'') is the body of rules that describe the structure of expressions in the Tagalog language, the language of the Tagalog region of the Philippines.
In Tagalog, there are nine basic parts of speech: ...
; ; Tagalog language § ''ng'' and ''mga''. 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
Joseph Ejercito Estrada, (; born Jose Marcelo Ejercito; April 19, 1937), also known by the nickname Erap, is a Filipino politician and former actor. He served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, the 9th vice preside ...
, was
impeached, removed from office, and
found guilty of plunder, in part due to accepting bribes from jueteng lords. The Philippine government operates the
Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office
The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO, fil, Tanggapan sa Charity Sweepstakes ng Pilipinas) is a government-owned and controlled corporation of the Philippines under direct supervision of the Office of the President of the Philippines. ...
(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
An informal economy (informal sector or grey economy) is the part of any economy that is neither taxed nor monitored by any form of government.
Although the informal sector makes up a significant portion of the economies in developing countrie ...
. Jueteng operators and their staff were estimated to number 400,000 in 2009, and many rely on jueteng work for their livelihoods.
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...
estimated the annual gross revenue of jueteng operators to be around in 2000. By 2019, this estimate had risen to .
History
Under
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 the practice of jueteng began, but it was mentioned in the Penal Code of 1887.
The use of Spanish-derived terms in the game suggest it developed under Spanish rule.
By 1893, jueteng tickets were openly sold on inter-island ships.
José Rizal
José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda (, ; June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896) was a Filipino nationalist, writer and polymath active at the end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is considered the national he ...
is perhaps the most well-known early fan of jueteng: he won while in exile in
Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte
Dapitan, officially the City of Dapitan ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Dapitan; Subanon: ''Gembagel G'benwa Dapitan/Bagbenwa Dapitan cbk, Ciudad de Dapitan''), is a 3rd class component city in the province of Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines. According t ...
, which he used in part to buy a
farm which is now a historical site.
The etymology of the word is unclear. The game is sometimes referred to as "Chinese jueteng",
when it was introduced during the
Spanish colonial times. In the 20th century games were often run by Chinese immigrants, although by the end of the century locals had taken over.
It is thought that the term could originate from two
Chinese characters
Chinese characters () are logograms developed for the writing of Chinese. In addition, they have been adapted to write other East Asian languages, and remain a key component of the Japanese writing system where they are known as ''kanji' ...
, although opinions differ on which they were.
When
Chinese Filipino
Chinese Filipinos; tl, Tsinoy, / Tsinong Pilipino, ; Philippine Hokkien , Mandarin (also known as Filipino Chinese in the Philippines) are Filipinos of Chinese descent, mostly of southern Fujianese ancestry, where the majority are bor ...
publications such as the ''
World News
World news or international news or even foreign coverage is the news media jargon for news from abroad, about a country or a global subject. For journalism, it is a branch that deals with news either sent by foreign correspondents or news agencie ...
'' refer to the game, they use the term, "" (), which means "
flower shop
Floristry is the production, commerce, and trade in flowers. It encompasses flower care and handling, floral design and arrangement, merchandising, production, display and flower delivery. Wholesale florists sell bulk flowers and related sup ...
" in
standard Chinese
Standard Chinese ()—in linguistics Standard Northern Mandarin or Standard Beijing Mandarin, in common speech simply Mandarin, better qualified as Standard Mandarin, Modern Standard Mandarin or Standard Mandarin Chinese—is a modern Standar ...
(
Mandarin
Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to:
Language
* Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country
** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China
** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
). Although in 1977, a paper by Gloria Chan-Yap was made pointing to
Hokkien
The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages in ...
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
as the source of the word, where the author pointed to the terms, "(hue 'flower', tn 'space')", though by 1980, the same author would release another paper revising her findings with a different
chinese character
Chinese characters () are logograms developed for the Written Chinese, writing of Chinese. In addition, they have been adapted to write other East Asian languages, and remain a key component of the Japanese writing system where they are k ...
, now recording "(huê 'flower', tŋ̣̆ 'space')". According to (
Wang
Wang may refer to:
Names
* Wang (surname) (王), a common Chinese surname
* Wāng (汪), a less common Chinese surname
* Titles in Chinese nobility
* A title in Korean nobility
* A title in Mongolian nobility
Places
* Wang River in Thailand ...
, 1982), "" used to be written as "", and another author,
E. Arsenio Manuel
Esperidión Arsenio Manuel (1909 - 2003), known as E. Arsenio Manuel, was a Filipino people, Philippine academic, historian, and anthropologist best known for his contributions to Philippine anthropology, history, literature, and linguistics. Duri ...
, from 1948 did also propose the etymology of the word from
Hokkien
The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages in ...
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
as "
Hokkien_
The_Hokkien_()_variety_of_Chinese_is_a__Southern_Min_language_native_to_and_originating_from_the_Minnan_region,_where_it_is_widely_spoken_in_the_south-eastern_part_of_Fujian_in_southeastern_mainland_China._It_is_one_of_the_national_languages_in__...
_.
When_American_colonial_era_in_the_Philippines.html" ;"title="''hoe(flower)-tng(pawn,bet),", where the likely chinese characters being referred to would be
,_the_government_cracked_down_on_jueteng.