Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-31359136-20170221090920

EO # 13 Will Expose Illegality of PCSO’s STL

President Duterte’s recently issued Executive Order #13, laying down the underpinning policy for his War against Illegal Gambling. It will also serve to highlight the limitations of PCSO’s charter and reveal that its STL program is illegal.

Republic Act 1169, which gave life to PCSO and was later amended by Batas Pambansa 42 and Presidential Decree 1157, only allows PCSO “To hold and conduct charity sweepstakes races, lotteries, and other similar activities, in such frequency and manner, as shall be determined, and subject to such rules and regulations as shall be promulgated by the Board of Directors.” PCSO must do all these activities by itself. The law never allows it to share its franchise or get other entities to perform its operations. While it may be allowed to hire agency entities as outlets and selling agents – in much the same way as it presently does with the lotto and sweepstakes outlets and agents – it must do so while closely monitoring and supervising these agents, who are themselves limited to merely suppliers of equipment or sellers of tickets, and not operators. Per its charter, the heart of the gambling operations, including the scheduled draws and lotteries as well as the payouts, must be done solely and exclusively by PCSO.,  