THE group of authorized lotto agents in Cagayan de Oro City is once again daring the police to seriously implement the campaign against illegal gambling even as the city's top cop raised an ultimatum for all station commanders to end illegal gambling activities in their respective jurisdictions by Friday, August 11.
Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (Cocpo) chief Senior Superintendent Robert Roy Bahian ordered the creation of a task force last August 2 to arrest personalities behind illegal gambling operations in the city.
Astrid Bana, president of the Misamis Oriental-Cagayan de Oro Lotto Agents Association Inc. (Moclaai), said they acknowledged the efforts of the police but challenged law enforcers to sincerely do their jobs.
"Ang i-target sa atong police kaning mga Mercury, Pioneer, kanang mga galakaw-lakaw kay those are illegal. Hinaot nga tinuoray naning sa police karon kay sa experience after sa one week mobalik na sad ni sila (Our police should target Mercury, Pioneer, those that go on field because these are the ones that are illegal. We just hope the police will be serious with this because as experience will tell us, illegal operations will return after one week)," Bana said.
However, Bana said, illegal "swertres" (3 digits game) have now been slowly declining after the start of the Small Town Lottery (STL) operations in the city and in the province.
Bana said STL, which accepts P1 bet for swertres, is a project of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) to compete with the illegal swertres operators.
Bana admitted the police's campaign against illegal gambling in the past few days is gaining ground as the STL's sales have improved.
"Before sa campaign against illegal gambling, STL sales is not doing well because of the competition sa illegal swertres, only when the campaign against illegal swertres started last few days that STL sales improve," Bana said.
Bana said the STL started operating in the city and in the province May, this year, after the Diamond Millennium Corporation got the franchise to operate.
The Moclaai head said sales for swertres in legal lotto outlets which are not operating STL have gone down.
But, Bana said sales in lotto outlets that are at the same time an STL operators have been going up.
He said not all lotto agents are operating STL and not all STL operators are lotto agents.
Bana said lotto agents will soon renew their agreement with the PCSO but they are apprehensive considering their decreasing sales.
"Many of us will renew our lotto business pero ang question mag-renew ba kaha mi nga bagsak man among sales," Bana said.
Bana said they are asking the PCSO of their plans for the lotto games.