Lotteries in the Philippines Face Criticism After Recent Assassination Incident
Local lotteries have been halted in the Philippines after a lottery vendor was brutally murdered last month and other vendors are still receiving threats.
On Monday, the mayor of Cotabato City, Bruce Matabalao, ordered an immediate stop to Small-Time Lotteries (STLs) due to escalating threats against local STL vendors in the city. This decision comes after an assailant assassinated a STL vendor a few weeks prior.
On that fateful day, Rizia Mae Pardillo Ycot, a 24-year-old STL vendor, was shot dead in cold blood while managing her booth. The perpetrator shot her in the head outside her booth, resulting in her immediate demise at the scene.
Since then, over two dozen vendors have reported receiving threatening messages, causing Cotabato City police director Colonel Querubin Manalang to urge Matabalao to take action.
Vendors across the city and other regions are voicing their concerns about increasing threats from illegal gambling operations. These criminal organizations, primarily controlled by various organized crime factions in the Philippines, view the STLs as infringing on their territory.
What are STLs?
STLs are legal lotteries supervised by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO). However, it's believed that illegal gaming operators see these legal outlets as a competitive threat to their illicit activities.
In an opinion piece for The Philippine Star, Cito Beltran posits that these criminal gangs may not be operating alone. Beltran argues that STLs are nothing more than legalized versions of local numbers rackets run by organized crime groups.
These operators, including illegal e-sabong operators, supposedly support various politicians through financial aid to help them secure or maintain political power. According to Beltran, at least one such operator is in collusion with several mayors to keep the illegal numbers game – jeuteng – alive and thriving. Those mayors who choose not to cooperate face repercussions, such as the recent assassination of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo.
Degamo became governor only recently after the former governor, Pryde Henry Teves, refused to vacate his position. Armed men were reportedly positioned around Negros Oriental to support Teves and force out Degamo.
Investigation Underway
The authorities are currently searching for Ycot’s killer. In the meantime, Matabalao has halted all lottery sales, legal or otherwise. He has asked the police to arrest anyone selling numbers lottery until they determine the next course of action.
The investigation into Ycot’s murder is still ongoing, and no clear motive has been established.
Last Friday, police conducted raids on five provincial houses, seizing firearms, ammunition, and at least one grenade. Among the properties raided was the home of Arnolfo Teves, Pryde’s older brother, who is a Philippine congressman.
The younger Teves has denied any wrongdoing but remains under investigation following the deaths of three individuals in 2019. As of Monday morning, the older Teves was unavailable to provide a statement, as he was overseas undergoing medical treatment.
