The Association of Ticket Sellers requested that the draft bill seeking to increase the percentage to 20 percent be addressed. "We have been waiting for this for 20 years," said the head of the union, Fernando González.
Panama.- Sellers of chances and tickets of the National Lottery of Charity (LNB) have made a claim for the advancement in the processing of the project to increase their sales profits, taking the margin up to 20 percent.
Fernando González, from the Association of Ticket Sellers, stated that they are requesting the new administration of the entity to increase the sales percentages. In this regard, he reiterated that there is a draft law in the National Assembly, which seeks to increase the profits to 20 percent. He maintained that a subcommittee was created to look at all aspects of the issue and with the new administration a "step ahead of this happening" has been taken.
However, González expressed his concern because the Assembly may soon stop sessioning and perhaps the issue will be postponed to next year. "We ticket sellers have been waiting for this for more than 20 years," claimed the head of the union about the urgency in adopting a new scale of profits on sales.
See also: Panamanians allocated USD 1.375m to gambling in the first five months of 2024
According to González, currently, the profit percentage is at 10 percent of sales, so raising it to 20 percent would mean a change in the life of the workers. Saquina Jaramillo, director of the institution, said that the corresponding evaluations will be made to comply with this request from the Executive Chief.
Finally, the head of the ticket sellers association explained the need to delve into the fight against illegal gambling, which is harmful to the LNB but also to the workers. According to a recent report from the LNB, illegal gambling would cause the entity to miss out on collecting about USD 200m annually.
While the debate to modify the amounts received by the lottery sellers is taking place in the legislative sphere, the mayor's office of La Chorrera announced that it will carry out operations to combat the proliferation of illegal gambling.
The ticket sellers from that locality expressed how they are affected by the illegal sale of lottery and requested that a stop be put to the offenders, detecting them with operations led by the Mayor's Office of La Chorrera, in conjunction with the National Police (PN), Ministry of Commerce and Industries (MICI) and the Public Ministry (MP).
The affected parties highlighted that there is a proliferation of premises dedicated to clandestine sales and emphasized that it is unfair competition that greatly affects their income, that of the LNB, and the State.
A raid was conducted in Barangay Manay, Panabo City.
The Philippines.- The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has arrested 55 Chinese nationals, three Malaysians and one Filipino allegedly linked to offshore gaming operators in a raid in Barangay Manay, Panabo City, Davao del Norte. NBI regional director Archie Albao said the raid was sparked by a tip off about the kidnap of a Malaysian national named Ruby Lim.
Police found a warehouse had been housing an unlicensed offshore gaming operation for the last three months. They found 60 computers, passports, IDs, cell phones, firearms, handcuffs and baseball bats. Lim was not found. Some suspects, including the person believed to be the manager, allegedly escaped during the raid.
According to Phil Star, the Chinese nationals involved had relocated to Davao del Norte after a similar operation in Metro Manila was shut down. They are under investigation. Many said they were forced to work against their will.
The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) has reported that 187 Chinese nationals have been deported following their arrests during a series of raids on alleged illegal offshore gaming operators in Lapu-Lapu City in Cebu, Bamban and Porac towns in Tarlac, and Metro Manila. The deportation was coordinated with the Chinese Embassy in Manila.
PAOCC executive director undersecretary Gilbert Cruz told the Philippine News Agency: “If you are a foreigner, you have to present your documents and passport. When they were arrested, they were not able to present any. They are undesirable aliens. Their offence is a violation of immigration laws, so they are subject to deportation.”
