Spanish firm poised to run ‘STL’

N E W S B R I E F S

02/12/2009

A Spanish gaming company reportedly with a franchise from the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (Ceza) is set to run a small-town lottery (STL) in Nueva Vizcaya, a company representative here said yesterday.

Sources disclosed that a supposed representative of Meridien Vista Gaming Corp., allegedly a former lawman, said the so-called STL operation was intended to replace the illegal numbers game of jueteng, which has been running intermittently here.

But anti-gambling activists and the Church have come out against the move and pledged to prevent it from kicking off, stressing that gambling is immoral whether it is legal or not.

Others, meanwhile, have expressed doubts regarding the legitimacy of the said operation, saying a Ceza franchise was not valid outside the freeport zone in Sta. Ana, Cagayan. “This is just to give a legal cover to an illegal activity,” said Fr. Emil Ibera.

Meanwhile, Jose Lorenzo, operations officer of First Cagayan Leisure and Resort Corp., which acts as the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) inside Ceza, denied any knowledge about the matter and refused to comment.

Last week Meridien’s so-called STL operation should have been the launching of but this was delayed because of technical problems and opposition of anti-gambling groups here. Ted Boehnert

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