Philippine police arrest 16 over illegal Facebook raffle
The raffle offered second-hand motorcycles as prizes.
The Philippines.- The Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) has arrested 16 people for allegedly running an illegal online raffle on Facebook. Representatives of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) accompanied the operation.
The suspects allegedly operated a Facebook page named Lucky Dream 4 and were arrested while conducting a 50th live online raffle at an office in Biñan, Laguna. PAGCOR senior vice president Raul Villanueva said second-hand modified motorcycles were being offered as prizes to 111,000 followers on Facebook. He said the group could collect up to PHP1.8m in one raffle, selling 40,000 to 50,000 tickets at PHP40 each.
PAGCOR chairman and CEO Alejandro H. Tengco said: “We have been receiving reports of illegal online activities including those in social media platforms. As the country’s gaming regulator, it is our duty to protect the public – especially the youth — from these illegal online gambling sites.”
Villanueva added: “We advise those who are involved in similar activities to think again. Register your online gaming operations with PAGCOR instead. There will be consequences if you continue to operate illegally because PAGCOR is constantly in touch with law enforcement agencies to ensure that these activities do not proliferate.”
