Even before the noise could die down on the ill-advised media coup about the supposed no-nonsense campaign against swertres , here comes the news that jai-alai is set to invade Bohol through the betting stations that are opening as we speak. It seems that while people were so engrossed about whether the anti- swertres drive amounted to anything or not, those who were betting on jai-alai as the next income-generating venture were moving in the shadows to jump-start its operation.
Jai-alai is threatening to take Bohol by storm – and it's no hollow threat.
Teasers about jai-alai are starting to mushroom in certain towns, an early indication that the groundwork has been laid and it is all a matter of time before the real invasion takes form. If jai-alai is legal - as it appears to be – why the need for all the secrecy? Why haven't we heard of attention-grabbing announcements which promoters are wont to do when introducing a new product line? The secrecy has something to do with the opposition. It is not the players are afraid of them. If they are, they would not even dare consider being part of it. After all the sound and fury against gambling, it is known to proliferate just the same. It would be safer to assume that the secrecy was resorted to so the operators can first gain momentum before the opposition gets wind of it. Many battles are won not so much on the strength and superiority of one side but simply because of the element of surprise.
One cannot help but wonder about the deafening silence on the part of government authorities. To date, only Tagbilaran Mayor Dan Lim has spoken on the issue while categorically declaring his opposition to the new gambling fad. Is this a case of government officials being caught with their pants down? That would not be a safe bet. Jai-alai betting is legal and therefore does not deserve to be treated like a leper. A more logical assumption is that given the expected opposition to it by some quarters, politicians would prefer to just give their tacit support. They do not want to actually promote it, but nonetheless have given their approval to its operation. Since gambling is a moral issue more than anything, people have a moral obligation to condemn it in the strongest terms. Many people, however, prefer to remain silent because they are so preoccupied with so many concerns. In the process, they actually play into the plot of gambling advocates who know that perseverance is a vanishing trait. Like many causes lost in the past, indications point to another loss by default.
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