The days of illegal gambling are numbered.
This was the assurance given by the Davao City Police Office as a follow-through to its campaign against illegal gambling.
This came after President Duterte signed Executive Order No. 13 directing the PNP, National Bureau of Investigation, and other enforcement agencies to intensify campaign against illegal gambling.
DCPO spokesperson PCI Catherine dela Rey told reporters on Wednesday that their operations are already in place and that they are reinforcing their intelligence monitoring and awareness campaign for the people involved in illegal gambling to know the consequences.
Dela Rey noted DCPO Director Sr. Supt. Michael John Dubria’s mandate to monitor the operations of illegal gambling such as last two and underground cockfighting.
“We are now working hard to intensify our operations on illegal gambling now that we are suspending from doing our police operations against illegal drugs,” she added.
Dela Rey also mentioned that the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group would be the main unit to conduct the operations and that the local chief executives will not be spared from the campaign against illegal gambling activities.
“We are still coming up with a list of suspects; most probably they would be the subjects for operation the following days,” she said.
She also said that the DCPO has arrested around 90 individuals for illegal gambling and the most common cases were card games, cara y cruz or flipping coins to determine the winner, and card games with money bet.
Dela Rey pointed out that they would be conducting “one-time-big-time” operations to make their area of responsibility “free from illegal gambling.”
Other forms of illegal gambling would include hantak, online gaming with money bet, funfairs without permits, and other numbers game.
However, she clarified that mahjong is allowed as long as it is “for fun and entertainment with just only one table,” but it is considered as gambling if there is betting involved and becomes a source of income.
She also urged the public to look out for people who would be involved in illegal gambling and report them immediately to the nearest police office.
People who would be arrested for illegal gambling will be charged for violation of Republic Act 9287 or the act increasing the penalties for illegal numbers, games, which amended certain provisions of residential Decree 1602.
