SMALL Town Lottery (STL) outlets in the cities of Cebu and Lapu-Lapu cannot operate yet despite President Rordigo Duterte’s order to lift the suspension of the STL operations.

This is because the operators of the outlets in the two cities have not paid their dues to the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

Police Regional Office 7 Director Debold Sinas said the PCSO allowed only the STL outlets in the provinces of Cebu, Siquijor, Negros Oriental and Bohol and in Mandaue City to operate.

With the continued suspension of the STL outlets in Lapu-Lapu and Cebu City, Sinas said the police have intensified their operation against all forms of illegal gambling in the two cities, particularly swertres.

“Operators in Cebu City and Lapu-Lapu have not paid yet and have not complied with the requirements. So if you’re talking about Cebu City and Lapu-lapu City STL, they cannot operate yet,” Sinas said.

The PCSO earlier said that an exclusive STL agent in Cebu City has a retail receipt deficit of P200 million as of July 2019.

It has not been able to meet the guaranteed monthly minimum retail receipt of P46.7 million.

It has blamed the shortfall on the presence of illegal gaming outlets in its area.

This means that it has not been able to remit to the PCSO the guaranteed ticket sales per month.

Reports of unremitted sales to the PCSO prompted Duterte to suspend the operations of STL outlets across the country on July 26, 2019. The suspension was lifted on Aug. 22.

Sinas warned that STL outlets in the two cities that would operate would be doing so illegally and its operator might be arrested.

He clarified that it’s the PCSO, not the PNP, that would give clearance for the STL outlets to resume operations. (FROM AYB OF SUPERBALITA CEBU / LRC)