Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) president Ramon "Tats" Suzara. File photo from PNVF
MANILA — Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) President Ramon "Tats" Suzara issued a clarification on Tuesday regarding the alleged use of a gambling site's logo during games at the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship.
Suzara said that 1XBET's logos are only shown in Volleyball World's feed and not in domestic television and actual courts.
This was in response to Senate Games and Amusement Committee Chairperson Sen. Erwin Tulfo's public hearing earlier in the day, where the senator called out the organizers after the supposed incident.
Suzara said 1XBET's logos are not used in local feed, given that the platform is illegal in the Philippines, and broadcaster Cignal TV is aware of it.
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) informed them beforehand that usage of its logos is restricted, said Suzara.
"1XBET is illegal in the Philippines, so it's not shown on domestic television. Even in One Sports or Cignal TV, walang 1XBET. You can only see 1XBET in the global feed or if you are a subscriber of Volleyball World," Suzara told reporters moments before the Alas Pilipinas Men's game against Egypt at the Mall of Asia Arena.
"Walang 1XBET dito because it's illegal. It is expected in each country that if illegal, hindi ipapakita 'yan kasi illegal," he added.
1XBET is a sponsor of the FIVB, the organizer of the Men's World Championship 2025, which is why the Volleyball World broadcast has those logos as virtual ads.
Suzara said that he had already reached out to the office of Sen. Tulfo regarding the matter.
He added that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and Philippine National Police (PNP) have yet to reach out to the federation. Tulfo, during the Games and Amusement Committee hearing, asked the NBI and PNP to investigate the incident.