ILOILO – Small Town Lottery (STL) draws in this province have resumed.
According to Red Subay Gaming Corporation’s legal counsel Rommel Duron, they already submitted to the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) a performance bond of P111 million and authorization fee of P25.7 million.
A performance bond is a guarantee that Red Subay is indeed capable of operating STL, said Duron.
STL Iloilo draws recommenced on Oct. 8.
Red Subay also sought the commitment of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) and local government units to campaign against illegal gambling.
PCSO designed STL to eradicate illegal gambling. But Duron said Red Subay alone could not eliminate illegal numbers games.
The operation of STL in the province and the eradication of illegal gambling largely depend on the support of the police and local leaders, he stressed.
IPPO director Senior Superintendent Marlon Tayaba assured Red Subay of a relentless drive against illegal gambling, said Duron.
From January to September this year, the Iloilo police staged 181 anti-illegal gambling operations resulting to the arrest of 263 persons, IPPO data showed.
Red Subay has decided to hold office in Santa Barbara town and conduct draws there. Duron said they have taken over the office and draw court of the previous STL franchisee for this province, Eagle-Crest Holding and Gaming Corp., so they could start their operation without hitches.
Duron is also one of the incorporators of Red Subay. He said the recruitment of bet collectors had been going on since August.
Red Subay’s chief operating officer is Octavio Antonio Marasigan. Its other incorporators are Nehru Ampatuan, Noel Virtucko and Anthony Pe.
Eagle-Crest, which had over 2,000 bet collectors across the province, held its last STL draw on May 9. PCSO cancelled its franchise for failing to remit the monthly Presumptive Monthly Retail Receipts (PMRR) – the amount determined by PCSO as the presumed minimum monthly sales of an authorized agent corporation or STL franchisee.
PCSO imposed the PMRR requirement to ensure that STL operators would not be able to cheat the government on their sales and revenues.
Aside from the failure to remit the monthly PMRR, an STL franchisee’s operation may also be terminated if it is found to have violated PCSO’s implementing rules and regulations for STL.
Under Article IV, Section 11 of the revised IRR for STL, an applicant for STL franchise must have a minimum authorized capital stock of P50 million./PN
