STL given 15 days to shift to Loterya ng Bayan

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) has given gaming corporations who were granted authority to operate the controversial small town lottery (STL) 15 days to shift to the newly launched Loterya ng Bayan.

PCSO chair Margie Juico issued the new guidelines to ensure that only legitimate corporations will be allowed to operate the lottery which is expected to generate at least P12 billion for the government’s charity projects.

Juico said they have imposed stringent measures on all members of the corporations applying for authority to operate, including getting clearance from the National Bureau of Investigation.

She said the new town lottery offers higher prizes in order to entice more bettors and in the process, eradicate jueteng and other illegal numbers games all over the country.

“It’s unfortunate that a Philippine National Police report has shown that STL has become a front of illegal numbers games nationwide,” she said.

“The authority to operate of any STL operator who has not signified intention to convert to Loterya ng Bayan or failed to comply with other requirements will be cancelled and their operations will be considered illegal,” Juico said.

The PCSO will also create a committee that will review applications for lottery operations to make sure that they do not have links to gambling lords.