Jueteng rampant in STL dominated areas in Luzon

MANILA, Philippines - Gambling lords have intensified their jueteng operations using the results of the Small Town Lotteries in their respective localities, reports reaching the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office said yesterday.

According to a STAR source in Quezon, STL-jueteng draw is conducted three times a day in Lucena City just 50 meters away from a cathedral in the said locality.

STL-jueteng operations are also reported in Angeles City, Bataan and Bulacan.

Among the suspected jueteng fronts are big gaming corporations identified with known gambling lords in Luzon.

The continued jueteng operations under the guise of STL has resulted to the big loss of sales of the legal numbers game in various parts of Luzon.

The source said jueteng lords were able to secure franchises for the STL, which practically shielded them from police raids because of the legality of their businesses.

“Some of the gaming corporations were able to get permit to operate up to 2013, which was, approved by the previous management of the PCSO,” the source added.

The renewed operations of the illegal numbers game came as the new PCSO board headed by chairman Margie Juico finalizes the review of the STL operations in various parts of Luzon.

The review is being conducted with the help of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), which has the list of all known gambling lords across the country.

Aside from the STL, gambling lords, are also using the results of jai-alai games played inside the Cagayan Freeport Zone Authority in Port Irene in Cagayan.

Atong Ang reportedly operates the jail-alai with the consent of Freeport authorities.

The jai-alai has resulted to the operation of masiao in Visayas and Mindanao, which gets its result from the Cagayan Freeport.

The masiao, a three-digit game combination from one to nine is popular in Visayas and Mindanao particularly in Cebu, competing with the minor online lotto games such as EZ 2 and the three-digit games of the PCSO.

The operations of jai-alai, however, is beyond the jurisdiction of the PCSO and other government agencies because it’s operating inside the Freeport Zone.

“Masiao illegal numbers game will continue to thrive with the jai-alai operations in Cagayan” a PCSO official lamented.