Philippines: 7 police officers arrested for illegal gambling
Seven police officers have been removed from their roles in Quezon City due to alleged involvement in illegal gambling.
The Philippines.- Two police station chiefs and seven precinct commanders have been arrested for involvement in illegal gambling. All nine have been removed from their duties. They are also accused of failing to stop illegal gambling in their jurisdiction.
According to Phil Star, National Capital Region Police Office chief Maj. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr said: “police officers who will violate this policy will be dealt with (using) the full force of the law.”
A few days ago, police arrested 29 people for allegedly being involved in illegal gambling. A first raid ended with the arrest of 13 people who were found playing card games. A second raid in Ayson village resulted in the arrest of nine people for illegal bets in the card game tong-its.
According to The Inquirer, two village officials were among those arrested. A third raid saw seven people arrested for playing tong-its and pusoy dos, a popular type of shedding card game.
During the raids, police seized a set of mahjong tiles, several decks of Spanish and American playing cards and cash. All those arrested will be charged with violation of anti-gambling laws.
PAGCOR reminds e-sabong players to gamble responsibly
Online betting on cockfights has rocketed in the Philippines since the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (PAGCOR) announced the approval of the first e-sabong operators. The regulator is now warning players to gamble responsibly to avoid gambling-related harms.
E-sabong grew in popularity after cockpits were closed to spectators at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. In May, PAGCOR announced the first two licensed e-sabong operators had started to operate. In June, it approved two more applications.
The regulator also warned the public not to participate in cockfighting betting offered by illegal operators.
It said: “Sabong being closely intertwined with our culture is presently gaining popularity as an online gaming activity among Filipino.
“Gaming responsibly is when a player only bets with money that he or she can afford to lose, making sure that money allocated for daily sustenance and for the family is not used.”
