wahoy

Tagalog

Borrowed from Hokkien, specifically Zhangzhou Hokkien 花會 / 花会 (hoa-hōe) as recorded in Douglas (1873).^[1]^[2]

The gambling game traces back to China where it is known more popularly and historically in Mandarin 花會 / 花会 (huāhuì) and has been played since Early Ming Dynasty to Late Qing Dynasty times starting in Coastal China, specifically in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Tianjin, Beijing, and spreading across Inland China and abroad and finally banned last in China since 1949.^[3] Jueteng has been made illegal in the Philippines in 1907 under American rule. In the 21st century, it is still played illegally in secret in China and the Philippines under the informal economy of both countries, but government-run lotteries are used to regulate and compete against the illegal private practice.

wahoy (Baybayin spelling ᜏᜑᜓᜌ᜔)

^ Douglas, Carstairs (1873) “hoe-hē”, in Chinese-English Dictionary of the Vernacular or Spoken Language of Amoy, [With 1923 Supplement after the Appendix by Thomas Barclay, Shanghai: Commercial Press, Ltd.] edition (overall work in Hokkien and English), London: Trübner & Co., page 124; New Edition (With Chinese Character Glosses) edition, London: Presbyterian Church of England, 1899, page 124
^ Douglas, Carstairs (1873) “hoe-hē (C. hoa-hōe)”, in Chinese-English Dictionary of the Vernacular or Spoken Language of Amoy, [With 1923 Supplement after the Appendix by Thomas Barclay, Shanghai: Commercial Press, Ltd.] edition (overall work in Hokkien and English), London: Trübner & Co., page 147; New Edition (With Chinese Character Glosses) edition, London: Presbyterian Church of England, 1899, page 147
^ “清末明初的另類彩票——打花會 [An Alternative Lottery Ticket in the Early Ming Dynasty and Late Qing Dynasty - To Play 花會]”, in 每日頭條 [KK News Daily Headlines]‎^[1], 2018 January 8