• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has already identified some of the financiers of illegal gambling in Negros Occidental.
NBI-Bacolod District Office chief Renoir Baldovino said on Tuesday (April 16) that these financiers are the targets of their operations as he debunked speculations that they have been lying low in their campaign.
He added that they are ready to issue a subpoena against the financiers of illegal gambling, if there is enough evidence against them.
On politicians being involved as financiers, Baldovino said, “We can’t tell really”.
There were reports that a relative of a politician in northern Negros is allegedly financing illegal gambling operations.
A majority of the financiers are engaged in Small Town Lottery (STL) bookies operations, using results of the legitimate STL operations.
The collected bets are sent to their coordinators through money remittance centers.
Police records show that the majority of the arrested bet solicitors are jobless while others are either pedicab drivers or ambulant vendors.
While the government sanctioned-STL operations give 10 percent commission to its bet solicitors, financiers of STL bookies give as much as 30 percent to their bet collectors, who oftentimes, also work with legitimate STL operators, according to the Philippine National Police documents. | GB
