Sunday, August 12, 2007 Palace: It’s better to keep public gambling in lotto than jueteng
IT’S better to lose profit in lotto operations than lose regular patrons to jueteng.
Malacañang admitted Saturday this was one of the reasons why President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo stopped a plan to increase prices of lotto tickets by 100 percent.
“Masyadong seryosong sugal na yan. It’s beyond the reach of the common tao, ang di maka-afford ng lotto baka sa jueteng at illegal numbers sila mag-patronize (Lotto has become such a serious thing for many. Increasing ticket prices may be beyond their reach and they may patronize jueteng again),” said Presidential Management Staff (PMS) chief Cerge Remonde said on government-run radio station dzRB.
He added the order was also “in response to the public clamor.”
Arroyo on Friday ordered a stop to a plan to double lotto prices. Operators had said they planned to increase the prices of lotto tickets effective August 15.
Presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye merely “confirmed” the order to Palace reporters Friday night but was tight-lipped when asked the reason for the decision.
The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) was to double the price of each ticket from P10 to P20 next week. This will cover Super Lotto 6/49, Mega Lotto 6/45 and Lotto 6/42 games.
But ticket prices for three-digit lotto “Swertres” and two-digit lotto “EZ 2” will remain at P10.
PCSO acting spokesman Larry Cedro said the agency was prompted to increase ticket prices after noticing spikes in lotto sales when jackpot prizes soared.
However, Cedro was quick to add that along with the rise in ticket prices also comes the rise in prize pots.
Lotto 6/42 and Mega Lotto 6/45’s starting jackpot prizes of P3 million and 4.5 million will go up to P6 million and P9 million, respectively.
Meanwhile, the P8 million initial prize pot for Lotto 6/42 will shoot up to P16 million.
Cedro said the increase will allow PCSO to allot more funds for its education and medical assistances as well as the government’s public service programs. (JMR/Sunnex)
