It's no secret that cockfighting is incredibly cruel, as it's typically controlled by local criminal networks. There have been numerous cases of people being kidnapped or murdered after winning a match or for other reasons. This is why cockfighting isn't for everyone; it's only for those prepared to face the consequences, given the cruelty of the world of cockfighting. It's for this reason that cockfighting is banned in many countries, as it's not only cruel to the animals but also to the people involved.
This case in the Philippines, i could say is isolated. Cockfighting here is okay and as a enthusiast i could say that there is no criminal networks involve at least here in our place. In fact many tourist come to cockfight arena to witness cockfighting event as they are eager to see why this banned event in their country is so popular here in the Philippines.
In terms of the gambling way itself then cockfighting is really one of the best way of gambling especially to those who are residing in the rural places, though like what you've said there are tourist who loves to see the actual gambling as there are arenas that's desigend to cater big fights, those VIP's who can spent huge amount of money.