5 ‘bookies’ bet collectors nabbed in Quezon

LUCENA CITY — At least five suspected bet collectors for “bookies,” or the illegal operation of Small Town Lottery (STL), were arrested in a series of police operations in Lucena City, Tayabas City, Sariaya, and Tiaong towns on Friday, police said Saturday.

Anti-illegal gambling operatives in Lucena City collared Noel Dimaunahan and Marcelina Limpiada while collecting and accounting money bets in Barangays 4 and Ibabang Iyam respectively in the afternoon, Colonel Audie Madrideo, Quezon police director, said in a report.

Policemen also nabbed Glaiza Tan in Barangay Wakas, Tayabas City; Aldrin Valdez in Barangay Talaan, Sariaya; and Ruben Bisco in Barangay Cabay, Tiaong, while gathering cash bets.

Seized from the suspects were STL bet collection forms, paraphernalia, calculators and money bets of different denominations.

All 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.

“Bookies” are illegal STL operations that maintain unauthorized betting stations in remote areas to avoid detection by authorities.

The “bookies” no longer conduct draws but are just adopting the winning combination from draws of the legal STL held three times a day in the Pirouette office in downtown Lucena City.

“The bookies collectors are fooling bettors who believed that they are playing with the legal STL. These bookies are taking away our bettors,” said a veteran STL bet collector in this city who requested anonymity. Delfin T. Mallari Jr./lzb