PCSO weighs in on Philippine gambling issue

The Philippine state-run Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) is calling on illegal gambling operators to “Go Legal”, Manilla news agency SunStar reports.

Alexander Balutan, general manager of the PCSO, told reporters that the Philippine Government is readying the expansion of its Small Town Lottery (STL), “the only legal and authorized numbers game”, and encourages illegal gambling operators to join the organization and pay taxes to benefit the country.

The PCSO’s STL expansion, set for launch at the end of January, will see authorized agent’s grow from just 18 to fifty-six. The Government expects a P2 billion increase in revenue once all 56 agents are operational which it says will be allocated to support the Duterte administration’s health and medical service initiatives.

“As the principal government agency for raising and providing funds for charity, we at the PCSO are confident that the expanded STL will not only increase needed funds for charity services, or boost revenues for the government, but spearhead a nationwide change that we have all longed for,” Balutan said. “Let there be no doubt, this is not only a campaign against illegal gambling but at the very core, a war to curb and eliminate corruption.”

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