Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has lifted his recent ban on small town lotteries (STLs) provided that each authorized agent corporation (AAC) deposit a cash bond “equivalent to three months of the guaranteed minimum monthly retail receipts” that would be owed to the Philippine Charity for Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).
The bonds would be “on top of their existing cash bonds,” said PCSO General Manager Royina Garma in a Facebook video. The deposits may be forfeited if the STLs fail to pay the government’s share of receipts on time.
There’s a third condition: each AAC must state in writing that it will “comply with its obligations under the STL-agency agreement, and will not institute any claims, monetary or otherwise against the government, and/ or apply a temporary restraining order from any court to prevent the government from exercising its rights and prerogatives,” she added.
“The foregoing conditions shall be applied to other AACs that may be allowed to resume operations,” she said.
STLs were suspended by Duterte in July due to allegations of massive corruption in the PCSO. The ban was later lifted, but only on lotto operations.
