Philippine police bust illegal lottery gambling den, 94 people arrested! Involving agents, financiers, and backend operations all in one sweep.

On June 29, 2025, in the afternoon, the Philippine police launched a raid in San Vicente, Tarlac Province, successfully dismantling a long-operating illegal lottery gambling center. The operation was led by the National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP ACG) and the case details were officially announced to the public on July 1.

The involved personnel had a clear hierarchy and operated in a highly organized manner:

At the scene, the police arrested 94 individuals involved, including:

- 43 top lottery distributors

- 19 ordinary distribution members

- 18 backend and administrative staff

- 11 business development agents

- 3 financiers and main operators

It was reported that the gang had been conducting gambling activities under the guise of online and offline lotteries without any form of operating license, seriously violating Presidential Decree No. 1602 (Anti-Illegal Gambling Law) and Republic Act No. 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act).

To ensure the smooth conduct of the operation, the police collaborated with multiple government agencies, including:

- Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR)

- Games and Amusements Board (GAB)

- Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

- Tarlac Provincial Local Government Unit (LGU)

Currently, all suspects are detained and are expected to face multiple criminal charges.

The "lottery + agent" model has become a new hotspot for mutated gambling activities:

The police pointed out that such "lottery as a guise" online gambling has frequently appeared in the Philippines in recent years. Some gangs rapidly expand through a "multi-level agent" model, even involving money laundering, cross-border fraud, and telecommunications crimes among other extensive gray and black chains.

They often rent activity centers as offline covers, use social media and instant messaging tools to recruit participants, and then transfer bets via electronic wallets, which are highly secretive and spread quickly, making governance increasingly difficult.

Official statement: Continued strict crackdown on "lottery-type" illegal gambling

At the press conference, a representative from the PNP ACG emphasized:

"We have noticed that more and more illegal gangs are using new terminologies such as 'lottery, investment, recruiting for commissions' to cover the nature of gambling. In the future, the police will continue to upgrade cyber investigations and inter-agency collaboration, showing zero tolerance and strict punishment for such crimes."