Elsewhere in the Philippines, delays in implementing the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) Lottery ng Bayan (PLB) have prompted accusations of a conspiracy between government officials and a ‘gambling lord’. Malaya.com quoted Movement for Transparency in Lotto Operations (MOTLO) spokesman Edgar J. Tamayo as saying “suspicions are rife that the delay is being intentionally orchestrated by a Palace clique, in connivance with a gambling lord associated with [former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo] and a relative of a top PCSO official.” Gary Castillo, secretary at good governance advocacy group Reach for Integrity and Service Excellence, echoed Tamayo’s concerns. “If a program designed to subdue gambling lords has been inexplicably delayed for four months, it is not unreasonable to suspect that it is the gambling lords themselves exerting their influence and causing a setback.”
Finally, electronic bingo arcades are stirring up Alabama-style controversy in some Philippines towns. In the province of Davao del Sur, Digos City council members agreed to permit the Limketkai Bingo Boutique to open for business. The vote was close (7-5) but Councillor Juanito Morales won the day after suggesting the council didn’t dare block legal e-bingo when it was doing nothing to block illegal operators running ‘Last Two Digits’ (of the PCSO daily lotto draw) betting stations right out in the open. According to the Inquirer, Morales then plunged the knife a little deeper, suggesting it appeared that some local pols were abetting the illegal operators, and had even conspired to have the local police director replaced after he spearheaded a vigorous anti-gambling campaign. Good (gambling) lord…