Corrupting the young

Yesterday’s front page of The Philippine STAR carried the news item about a young boy who had ran up P90,000 in bets on basketball games. The story written by Booma Cruz and Yvonne Chua of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) relates that 15-year-old Robert had become a victim of high-stakes gambling.

Robert had been the respondents, obedient, kind, and generally well-behaved student. These qualities made his classmates vote him as class president. A month ago, however, his mother noticed that he had become unusually quiet and withdrawn. Robert’s older brother told the mother that Robert had run up P90,000 in debt after betting on the results of the US-based National Basketball Association (NBA) games through a bookie.

When time to pay up came, the bookie-cum-debt-collector, who was Robert’s classmate, was now harassing Robert, calling him at home and texting messages on his mobile phone. Possibly worried about what would happen to their son if his gambling debt was not paid, Robert’s parents withdrew money from his savings account, and his mother issued a check to the bookie.

The PCIJ story revealed that high-stakes gambling is now taking place in private high schools and colleges in Metro Manila. Bets start as low as P10, and some youngsters who are still learning algebra have managed to rack up six figure debts.

An anti-crime organization cites the case of a female student who lost almost P20-million after trying to recover precious losses. Unable to pay her debts and repeatedly threatened by the bookie, her family was forced to transfer residence, and the student had to drop out of school. Some students sell their personal belongings – clothes, shoes, appliances, and even cars to pay for their debts.

The sports gambling in schools is said to be fairly recent, with gambling syndicates running the operation, and students in the schools serving as bookies-collectors. The betting is placed through the bookie’s cell phone, which is usually equipped with GPS (global position system) that is able to trace the whereabouts of the bagman with ease.

But parents are scared to report the activity to authorities for fear of reprisals. One unconfirmed report says a student who tried to put one over the syndicate was reportedly killed. Teresita Ang-See, head of the Citizens’ Action Against Crime Movement (CAAC-MRPO), said two students had their necks squeezed tight while they were being threatened.

Basketball games are the best to play bets on, especially those of the US-based NBA. Bettors also like games in the Philippine Basketball Association. According to the PCIJ story, bettors are not required to produce the money outright when placing a wager, and pay only when they lose. Winners give up at least 10 percent of their winnings to the bookie as commission. Win-loss transactions are settled weekly on a designated "payday". In some schools losers pay the bookies on Mondays while winners receive their prize money on Tuesdays.

Betting starts an hour and a half before each game. The most popular bets are "happy ending" – betting on the ending of the game’s final score or simply picking the game’s winner.

Gambling is addicting, and once one starts betting, it is hard not to keep placing wagers, says the PCIJ article. Clinical psychologist Jay Madelion-Crocreny told the interviewers: "If I win, I’d want to bet again. But if I loss, the more I want to make another bet because I’d want to regain what I lost."

It is time that law enforcement authorities ran after the drug syndicates operating in the schools.

For the detailed reports on the gambling activity, get yesterday’s and today’s copies of The Philippine STAR.

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