Councilor Wilson Gamboa, Jr. said yesterday in a DYEZ Aksyon Radyo program anchored by Renato Boy Duran that his stand favoring the operation of the Small Town Lottery (STL) here is to create demand for alternative choice against the existence of illegal gambling now massively hounding Bacolod City. Gamboa was among the Bacolod Councilors who voted in favor of the resolution granting Super Lucky Beagler Inc, authority to operate STL in Bacolod City; those who voted in favor were Councilors Alex Paglumotan, Noli Villarosa, Roberto Rojas, Em Ang, Caesar Distrito and Gamboa, while Councilors El Cid Familiaran and Sonya Verdeflor are not in favor. Gamboa added, “The government statement of an ‘all-out-war’ of the Philippine National Police (PNP) ‘one strike policy’ is just taken lightly by these illegal operators so we might as well allow the STL to counter the poor man’s gambling bet through jueteng, jai-alai, masiao, daily double and ‘last two digits’ and regulate them.” He also said, “Despite no STL operation here in Bacolod City, in reality, operators mostly from STL-allowed Talisay, Silay and other Cities and Municipalities in the province place their bets thru their ‘koridors’, bookies or runners scattered here in Bacolod then placed said bets in the STL-allowed areas of origin.” Gamboa stressed, “These daily extension activities of STL here in Bacolod which comes from neighboring STL-allowed Cities deprive us of our rightful share of the proceeds out of STL operation. This is funding social services share supposedly given to the City of Bacolod.” The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) will remit seven percent of the STL monthly proceeds to the Host City for charity and basic services while one percent goes to the PNP. Gamboa likewise explained a pragmatic approach considering the difficulty of mounting the morality issue on the Filipinos’ propensity to gamble as it is viewed as a form of recreation, harmless past time, entertainment, distraction, diversion; He explained that most bettors even pray for intervention, seek signs and interventions from the heavens and when they win, they thank God thus the Filipinos’ moral attitude against gambling hardly influence their gambling attitude. He said, “Gambling is a pervasive and habitual activity deeply rooted in the Filipino social psyche and culture. Gambling is gambling however, and there is no difference among and between all forms of gambling (i.e. cockfights, lusok, casinos, etc.) even if others seem less evil but we can REGULATE them.” Therefore, Gamboa asked, “Can we really put the issue of morality in the picture. This is why we need to weigh in also the economic benefit to the individual, the city and the country in general.” Gamboa clarified an earlier “if you can’t beat them, join them” statement as lacking one word which is “and regulate them” referring to said illegal gambling activities as something that cannot be stopped but can be regulated and contained.*
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