ILOILO – The Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) welcomed the impending return of Small Town Lottery (STL) in the province. This could help eradicate illegal numbers games such as “bookies”, said Senior Superintendent Marlon Tayaba, police provincial director.
The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) designed STL to combat illegal numbers games. Its new STL franchisee in this province is set to start operating in September.
Tayaba said the franchisee, Red Subay Gaming Corporation, may tap the services of bet collectors currently involved in illegal gambling.
From May to August 2018 the police have arrested over 200 bet collectors of the illegal numbers game “bookies” mostly in the 4th and 5th districts, according to the police director.
The franchise of the previous Iloilo STL operator, Eagle-Crest Holding and Gaming Corp., was cancelled by PCSO on May 9 after nearly a year of operation for failing to remit the monthly Presumptive Monthly Retail Receipts (PMRR) – the presumed minimum monthly sales of an authorized agent corporation or STL franchisee.
PCSO imposed the PMRR requirement to make sure that STL operators would not be able to cheat the government on their sales and revenues.
A source told Panay News two former members of the Philippine National Police, a retired Philippine Army official and a former rebel were the financiers of the resurgent illegal numbers game “bookies” in this province.
They tapped the displaced bet collectors of Eagle-Crest, according to the source.
The former rebel operated “bookies” in the 2nd District, specifically in the municipalities of Santa Barbara, Leon, Alimodian, and San Miguel.
On the other hand, one of the two former policemen operated in the 4th District.
“He had the rank of superintendent while still in the police service and was a cousin of a municipal mayor in the district,” the source told Panay News.
The other former policeman operated “bookies” in the 5th District in partnership with a retired Army colonel.
“The policeman was a cousin of a former municipal mayor in the 5th District,” according to the source.
Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) director Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao ordered the Regional Intelligence Division (RID) to validate the information.
“We do not tolerate illegal gambling. If we have evidence, we will file charges,” said Bulalacao.
Before the Sangguniang Panlalawigan in September 2017, Tayaba admitted that despite the STL operation of Eagle-Crest this province was still having illegal gambling problems.
Tayaba also named three illegal gambling groups – the Adelantar group based in Janiuay town, the Hautea group based in Barotac Nuevo and the Peling group./PN
