Philippines Gambling News And The Most Interesting Line You’ll Ever See

There’s not a great deal to report about the current state of Philippines gambling.

The COVID lockdowns are still delaying various Entertainment City IR reopenings, the Okada Manila has gone public in a $2.6 billion merger, and the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup Finals just tipped off.

Re the Philippine Cup championship, Game 1 saw betting favorite TNT Tropang Giga explode past their tiny -1.5 handicap and handily defeat the Magnolia Hotshots by a score of 88 to 70.

Game 2 of the best-of-seven series takes place this Friday at 5:00 PM local time, with coverage by One Sports network.

You can see the highlights from the opener below:

In the world of legal Philippine gambling, that’s all the news that’s fit to print.

Except for one thing:

Facebook is allegedly changing its name, and you can bet on what the new name will be!

The move should mirror that made by Google in 2015 when it kept its Google branding but created a larger umbrella company called Alphabet to cover all its different subsidiaries.

In other words, the Facebook name isn’t going anywhere.

The social media platform will still hang onto its valuable moniker, but its many divergent projects – some of which have no logical association (or may even have an “off message” association) with the Facebook name – need some sort of differentiation.

The Oculus VR platform and its related initiatives are a great example, and there are countless others.

This, of course, is relevant to the Filipino bettor for two reasons.

First and foremost, gamblers like to gamble, and it’s not every day that something this big comes along in the non-sporting realm. It’s a fun, engaging betting line.

Secondly, Facebook has a massive presence in the Philippines.

Even legitimate sports networks – such as One Sports, the home of the PBA – do most of their reporting and offer most of their coverage through Facebook. Indeed, countless Philippine brands across all markets use Facebook as their main online landing pages.

Of course, the Philippines is also Facebook’s sixth biggest market with 88 million users, behind only India (340 million), the USA (200 million), Indonesia (140 million), Brazil (130 million), and Mexico (98 million).

Facebook is uniquely important in the islands, and this “new name” thing is sure to gin up plenty of local interest.

As usual, BetOnline Sportsbook – the leading choice for gamblers among all legal Philippines sports betting sites – has the most entertaining Facebook name-change odds:

New Facebook Parent Company Name

Virtuel +400

To be clear, we’re not sure where any of these names actually come from. Facebook has hinted at nothing, and every entry on this list is pure speculation.

As for “Virtuel,” that’s not a bad idea, but it seems a little bit too “French” for a multinational company. It’s a little soft. Wimpy, even.

It might fit Mark Zuckerberg’s personality, but that’s about it.

Connect +500

This one seems riddled with legal issues, “prior art” issues, and the like. It’s also too generic, even if it’s the most apt name on the list.

Horizon +500

While Facebook is going all in on VR and is currently dumping huge resources into its Horizon Worlds platform, it likely won’t choose this name because it – like “Facebook” – would be too limiting.

It would primarily serve to reflect just a single project above all others.

Ecoverse +700

They aren’t that woke, are they?

Metabook +800

Facebook has long described its desire to build out a comprehensive AR and VR metaverse, but this one struggles with the same issue of too-referential branding.

The new name won’t have “book” anywhere in it.

Immerse +800

Yes and no. It’s apt, to be sure, but it’s also very generic.

Omniverse +1000

Not a chance. The word is already embedded in the English lexicon via any number of enterprises and fictional works. It’s simply too derivative.

Persistem +1200

This is a fun pun but a total nonstarter, no matter how you spell it.

And just for the record, “Persystem” looks a lot cooler in writing.

Ecompass +1200

We first read this as “Encompass.”

Either way, it’s too Plain Jane, but it would again be apropos for the company’s overall aims.

Metanet +1400

If this were the 1990s, we’d be all in on this line.

Sodigeco +2000

We have no idea what this means, but it’s worth pointing out that there’s already a computer company named SODIGECO in Morocco.

MetaRack +2500

No. Facebook is not a shoe store.

Openverse +2500

This one doesn’t roll off the tongue quite so well as many of the other similar entries on this list.

MetaLand +3300

LOL, no.

MetaLife +3300

If Facebook sold vitamins at a 200% markup, “MetaLife” would be a go.

Dataverse +3300

This one’s a bit too Dilbert to be taken seriously.

MetaMatrix +4000

For something like this, three syllables seems the absolute limit. It just takes too long to say “MetaMatrix.”

Plus, The Matrix movie franchise already owns the term’s full market mindshare.

WeOwn +4000

They do own you. But they’d be reluctant to admit it so blatantly.

MyFace +5000

Old joke, still funny. “FacePage” is another classic.

Lifelog +5000

This sounds too much like a wilderness survival item.

Facebook might plunge the world into a dystopian hellscape, but they aren’t going to market around that.

ZuckRack +6600

Again, Facebook is not a shoe store.

Subversive +6600

Ha! Facebook is the least subversive enterprise imaginable.

They bend to the will of the majority party of every government on earth.

“Subversiveness” and “censorship” are mutually exclusive concepts.

MetaMark +8000

Amusing.

MetaBeast +8000

Biblically appropriate (especially when combined with the above).

Zuckers +10000

If Facebook goes all in on electric vehicles and then opens 50,000 roadside charging depots with poor diner-style food, yes.

In reality, none of the above will likely be the name of the new Facebook parent company. Remember, these lines are all in good fun and aren’t really to be taken seriously.

It’s also worth pointing out that every selection on the list has action. If Facebook chooses a name that’s not on this list, no wagers will be refunded. These are pure entertainment betting odds and nothing more.

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