House panel-OK'd anti-online Lotto betting bill to hit 2 birds with 1 stone
At A Glance
- A measure that seeks to prevent children from being exposed to the allure of online betting--particularly with the Philippine Lotto--has been approved by the Committee on Games and Amusement in the House of Representatives.
Lotto ticket
A measure that seeks to prevent children from being exposed to the allure of online betting--particularly with the Philippine Lotto--has been approved by the Committee on Games and Amusement in the House of Representatives.
At the same time, House Bill (HB) No.9283, principally authored by Cagayan de Oro 2nd district Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, intends to keep physical Lotto outlets in operation so that it may continue to employ Filipinos.
The bill is titled, "An Act prohibiting the online placing of bets for all Lotto games".
It provides that the placing of bets for all Lotto games “shall only be done physically and only in authorized lotto outlets".
“The online placing of bets thru mobile phones, laptops, tablets, personal computers (PCs), and other similar gadgets, for all Lotto games is prohibited,” read the one-page bill.
Lotto refers to Philippine lottery. Lotto draws are organized by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).
One of the objectives of the bill is to "prevent the exposure/ involvement of the youth and children to application- based betting".
The other is to "prevent the irrelevancy and eventual extinction of Lotto agents due to the digitalization of Lotto games".
Under HB No.9283, any change in the system and procedures to play all Lotto games shall be made public to the affected stakeholders.
It also provides that "any change in the system and procedures to play all Lotto games which will have an impact on the revenue generation, livelihood of the lotto agents, and the charity mandate of the PCSO shall be made public to the affected stakeholders".