PNP warning: No gambling

Provincial capitol building in Lucena City. DELFIN T. MALLARI JR.

LUCENA CITY, Philippines—Watch, enjoy the show and pray for a Pacquiao win, but do not bet cash, a police official in Quezon warned as the country gears for the most lucrative match in boxing history on Sunday.

Senior Supt. Ronaldo Genaro Ylagan, Quezon police chief, called on all owners and managers of business establishments in the province to prevent cash betting in their joints during the much-awaited boxing match between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

Betting money is illegal gambling, Ylagan said, so businesses should not turn their establishments into cockpits or casinos for inveterate gamblers, the police official told reporters here on Thursday.

Ylagan said illegal gamblers will be charged with violating Republic Act No. 9287 that increases the penalty for illegal numbers games, and added that he would ask business establishments offering a live viewing of the fight to post a notice that cash betting is prohibited in their premises.

But police are not about to put a damper on the betting, one bet collector said, adding that big-time gamblers are planning to converge in a local restaurant tomorrow to arrange more bets while viewers watch the match live via satellite.

Bet collectors have also been making the rounds in Lucena City neighborhoods to arrange and collect cash wagers, most of them in favor of Pacquiao, with bets ranging from a hundred pesos to several thousands.