DAGUPAN CITY — The Pangasinan Police Provincial Office has dismissed malicious reports being spread around by unknown persons that the Philippine National Police (PNP) is protecting Speed Game Inc., a new authorized agency corporation (AAC) operating the small town lottery (STL) in Pangasinan.
Speaking over radio network Aksyon Radyo Dagupan on Saturday, Pangasinan police provincial director Ronald Lee said they had “no connection whatsoever” with Speed Game, saying that only the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) had a contract with the new AAC, as it was the issuing authority to the STL operations in Pangasinan.
Speed Game replaced Golden Go Rapid Gaming Corporation (GGRGC) after the latter’s authorization was withdrawn by the PCSO over failure to pay presumptive monthly retail receipt (PMRR).
GGRGC was the top bidder for the STL franchise in Pangasinan in early last year, with Speed Game as the second highest.
Speed Game merely “took over” as the second highest bidder when GGRGC was disqualified.
Lee said when Speed Game started its operations on January 3 this year, the PNP “did not receive a copy of the resolution of the PCSO naming Speed Game as the new AAC.”
Pangasinan Mayors League president Silverio Alarcio, Jr., mayor of Laoac town, said Speed Games needed to secure business permit in all the areas where they were operating.
There were other groups that insisted to operate STL but were halted by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and the PNP.
The illegal bookies eventually stopped when they saw continuing police operations against illegal gambling.
Lee explained that the police were only trying to prevent confusion, citing what happened last year where two rival AACs surfaced in Pangasinan. (Ahicam Pasion/PNA)
