Bali Cockfighting

Why is cockfighting so popular? For one thing it is the slot machine or the bingo game of the third world. A fair percentage of the world’s population seems to be addicted to gambling. In the West, this may require some fairly sophisticated equipment, some odds-making center, complex communications equipment, and an assurance than an unseen and perhaps unknown person will pay up if you win. Not so with cockfighting. One doesn’t even need to own a cock. He can just show up and gamble to his heart’s content – limited only by his pocket book, since all bets are in cash.

This is where cockfights come in. Whenever there is an important Balinese Hindu ceremony, there should be a blood sacrifice made to the local butakala to win their cooperation and support. Such a ceremony might range from a rite of passage, to the anniversary celebration of a temple or shrine, to the purification of an area that is known to be adversely affected by butakala. At such a time a cockfight is legal, and, in fact, a requirement. The local cockfighters come in from the cold, so to speak, and do their thing right out in public – perhaps even inside a public temple. The losing cock contributes his blood to the butakala, and all is well.