3 alleged illegal STL bet collectors nabbed in Quezon

LUCENA CITY – Three suspected bet collectors for an illegal operation of Small Town Lottery (STL) called “bookies” were arrested in police operations in Tayabas City on Sunday night, police said.

Warren Rovero, Marlon Paz, and Mark Joseph Pintang were arrested while collecting bets in Barangay Angustias Zone II around 8:30 p.m., said a report from Senior Supt. Osmundo de Guzman, chief of the Quezon police.

Rovero was caught accepting bets from an undercover policeman while Paz and Pintang were arrested while revising the STL betting form.

Seized from the suspects, who are all residents of nearby Sariaya town, were STL bet collection forms, paraphernalia, and money bets.

Police said the suspects failed to produce legitimate identification cards issued by Pirouette Gaming Corp., the licensed STL operator in the province, which showed they were engaged in the illegal operation of the state-sanctioned lottery.

The suspects were detained at the city police jail. They will face charges of violation of the amended law on illegal gambling.

The bookies no longer conduct draws but are just adopting the winning combination of the legal STL.

STL draws are held three times a day in the Pirouette office in downtown Lucena City. The draw is open to the public. The winning combination is adopted in all betting stations province-wide.