THE Bacolod City Council will conduct an in-depth discussion and clarification regarding the legal status, regulatory compliance, and enforcement issues surrounding Small-Town Lottery (STL) operations within the city, Councilor Dindo Ramos said on Tuesday, September 2, 2025.
Ramos, chairperson of the City Council committee on transportation and traffic, earlier authored a resolution constituting the entire City Council as committee of the whole and inviting the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), Business Permits and Licencing Office (BPLO), City Legal Office (CLO), and the Philippine National Police (PNP) relative to the status of STL operation in the city.
Ramos said the City Council recognizes the importance of transparency, accountability, and inter-agency collaboration to ensure that STL operations, if permitted, are conducted in accordance with the law.
To achieve this, he said it is imperative that the entire City Council be constituted as a Committee of the Whole to hear, deliberate, and gather inputs from relevant stakeholders and concerned government agencies.
The City Council earlier urged the Philippine National Police, through Mayor Greg Gasataya, to intensify the operations against illegal gambling, particularly the illegal operations of STL within the city.
Ramos said illegal gambling continues to persist in various areas of the city despite existing laws and regulations prohibiting such activities.
He said STL is being publicly operated in the city where bets are being collected with no revenues remitted to the city, despite having no business permit issued to the operator.
“The illegal operation of STL and other forms of gambling activities not sanctioned by law have been observed to proliferate, posing social, moral, and economic risks to the community,” he added. (MAP)