Burial Wake ala Las Vegas

In the Philippines, gambling is only allowed at accredited casinos located inside certain hotels and establishments. Sponsoring gambling events at houses and other areas not accredited by the government is completely illegal.

To circumvent this law, some “entrepreneurial” gambling lords have used burial wakes situated at the house of the deceased as a gambling den considering that gambling during these situations are “informally allowed” by the local officials. The local officials often put tents (with their names of course), tables and chairs and take up one lane of the road as “moral support” to the grieving family. A portion of the gambling proceeds normally go to the bereaved family.

This is one of the reasons why some burial wakes in the Philippines can last for about a month or so.