The bets are placed in a shadow gambling system run by the gambling lords. The illegal gambling operations are carried out openly and in plain sight. All the police could grab are the bookies – the foot soldiers of the illegal gambling networks who carry records of bets placed. The persistence of illegal gambling networks shadowing the government-sanctioned STL threatens the viability of legal betting networks. Although they might resemble each other, the illegal gambling networks and the STL are two completely different animals.

Source: Philippine Star March 28, 2026 04:01 UTC