Philippines: 38 arrested over illegal small-town lottery games
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) made the arrests in Cebu province.
The Philippines.- The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) arrested 38 people in the past few weeks in operations targeting small-town lottery (STL) games operated by entities such as Buenas Gaming. NBI’s Cebu District Office agent-in-charge Arnel Pura said the organisations targeted were not registered with the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).
According to Sun Star, Pura said those arrested were apprehended while accepting bets from undercover NBI agents posing as gamblers. The operations resulted in the shutdown of betting stations in various locations in Cebu, in towns such as Barili, Minglanilla, Cordova, Consolacion, Liloan, and Compostela, as well as cities like Toledo and Carcar.
Charges were made under the Republic Act (RA) 9287, which lists penalties for illegal gambling, and RA 10175, known as the Cybercrime Law. Those arrested were released upon posting bail of PHP60,000 each. Pura said it was proving difficult to identify key orchestrators due to detainees’ lack of cooperation.
