The Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG), in collaboration with Philippine Gaming and Entertainment Corporation (PAGCOR) representatives, arrested 16 individuals for engaging in illegal online sweepstakes on Facebook.
The person involved was caught while hosting a live broadcast of the 50th lottery draw in an office in Binyan, Laguna Province. At the time they were conducting betting operations on the Facebook page "Lucky Dream 4".
Commitment to combat illegal online gambling
PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco stressed that the arrest was in line with the national gaming agency’s commitment to strengthen the fight against illegal online gambling. Increased cooperation with law enforcement agencies aims to protect the public, especially young people, from illegal online gambling platforms.
"We have received reports of illegal online activities, including on social media platforms. As the country's gaming regulator, we have a responsibility to protect the public - especially youth - from these illegal online gambling sites," Tengco said in a statement the statement said.
According to PAGCOR, the Facebook page "Lucky Dream 4", which has 111,000 fans, has been running a live online lottery game and offering modified second-hand motorcycles as prizes. PAGCOR Senior Vice President Raul Villanueva revealed that the group has been operating for quite some time and has made considerable profits from their illegal activities.
Significant financial impact
In one raffle, the group can make up to 1,800,000 pesos (29,155 euros) by selling an average of 40,000 to 50,000 tickets at 40 pesos (0.65 euros) each.
“Since they started this illegal online operation, they have amassed a fortune of over 8 million pesos (approximately 129,596) because in a single draw, they can sell up to 50,000 tickets,” said Villanueva, head of the PAGCOR security group .
Youth Involvement and Legal Implications
Villanueva also expressed concern about the involvement of teenagers in the group, with most members under the age of 27. He stressed that the Lucky Dream 4 group is engaged in illegal online gambling activities and urged them to apply for a license from PAGCOR if they intend to operate legally.
Consequences of illegal operations
Villanueva said: “We advise people who engage in similar activities to think again. Please register your online gambling operations with PAGCOR. If you continue to operate illegally, there will be adverse consequences. Because PAGCOR will maintain close contact with law enforcement agencies to ensure that these The activity will not spread.”
