THIRTY-EIGHT individuals hailing from various areas within Cebu province were apprehended in a series of anti-illegal gambling operations led by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) during the months of July and August 2023.
NBI Cebu District Office agent-in-charge Arnel Pura told SunStar Cebu on Wednesday, August 16, that the operations were conducted against the small-town lottery (STL) games run by Buenas Gaming and other organizations last July 27 and August 10.
He said these organizations are not registered with the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).
Pura added that the anti-illegal gambling activities were in line with the mandate of the Department of Justice to go after illegal swertres operators across the country.
He revealed that the people detained were all swertres coordinators who were caught accepting bet money from the NBI agents who posed as bettors.
According to Pura, the betting stations were shut down to prevent them from opening up operations again.
These were located in the towns of Barili, Minglanilla, Cordova, Consolacion, Liloan and Compostela, and the cities of Toledo and Carcar.
The suspects were charged with violating Republic Act (RA) 9287, otherwise known as an Act Increasing the Penalties for Illegal Gambling in relation to RA 10175 (the Cybercrime Prevention Act). However, they were released from NBI’s custody after posting bail of P60,000 each.
Pura acknowledged having difficulty identifying their masterminds because the arrested individuals were uncooperative. (HIC)