In the absence of a casino, the main betting game in East Timor is the cockfight, one of the oldest traditions of the country, where two roosters specifically bred for aggression are placed beak to beak in a small ring and encouraged to fight to the death. Everything follows a ritual that consists of tying a blade in the paw of the roosters. The stakes involved come to around two thousand dollars a fight with animals specifically trained. The winner is the one who stays alive. It’s illegal? Yes, it is. But what happens to the players? Nothing. It’s usual to see police officers betting on cockfights. The surprises do not end in East Timor.
