A shocking incident recently occurred in Bukidnon, Philippines: an active-duty police officer, addicted to online gambling and heavily in debt, robbed a local convenience store at gunpoint, stealing about 80,000 pesos before fleeing on a motorcycle.
Regrettably, the suspect was a sergeant at the Libona police station. After the incident, colleagues identified him through surveillance footage and arrested him on the spot. The officer is now detained and faces serious charges of robbery, as well as dismissal from service.
Preliminary investigations by the police revealed that the suspect's gambling debts mainly arose from borrowing money from colleagues to bet. He had been using local platforms to participate in online gambling for a long time and had repeatedly tried to "break even" days before the incident, ultimately resorting to desperate measures.
Public opinion suggests that the frequent occurrence of such cases is not unrelated to the recent PIGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators) policy, which opened local gambling to the offshore gaming industry. Since the issuance of local gambling licenses, advertisements for online gambling platforms have flooded social media and offline channels, making "mobile betting" a new hidden danger for young Filipinos and grassroots public servants.
Particularly vulnerable are grassroots police, firefighters, military personnel, and drivers who, despite having stable incomes, are more susceptible to the lure of "quick money" and can easily fall into the gambling trap. Once they lose money, hindered by pride or limited income, they are prone to enter a vicious cycle of "borrowing high-interest loans—gambling to break even—committing crimes to escape debt."
This case has once again prompted public reflection on the subsequent impacts of legalizing online gambling:
When online gambling platforms enter everyone's mobile phones, the victims are not only the players but could also be police officers, colleagues, or even someone close to you and me.
Philippine police officer robs at gunpoint due to online gambling debts! Does the legalization of PIGO pose a hidden threat to local security?
Comments0
If the surveillance doesn't recognize it, wouldn't they have succeeded?
Hahaha, this police is professional.
LOL (Laughing Out Loud)
I had guessed that gambling would lead to public security incidents, but I didn't expect it to be police crime.
Public opinion can easily set the tone.
Even if you change your skin, you're still Cheng Yaojin.
Are you talking about addiction? Then ask if GCash has risk control alerts? Do bank cards have a limit?
Previously, it was all POGO's fault, now it's all PIGO's fault. Wherever there are Chinese people, there are pots.
Before PIGO, Filipinos also gambled online, just placing bets in private chats on Telegram and Facebook. You cannot suppress the demand of an industry, yet blame the model that is willing to be regulated. This is putting the cart before the horse.
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