Trouble in Philippines over Illegal ‘Last Two’ Game

Posted: February 3, 2010

Updated: October 4, 2017

An illegal numbers game that has recently exploded in popularity in parts of the Philippines has law enforcement agents busy trying to

An illegal numbers game that has recently exploded in popularity in parts of the Philippines has law enforcement agents busy trying to take control and stop the games from happening. The game is called “Last Two”, and it piggy-backs on a legal lottery games hosted by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office. The results of Last Two are derived from the last 2 numbers drawn for this lottery.

According to Philippine gambling laws, Last Two is illegal, and is in violation of Presidential Decree 1602, also called the Anti-Illegal Gambling Law. Almost all legal gambling in the Philippines is controlled by a monopoly called PAGCOR, so unless a gambling operation gets governmental approval, it is likely to be shut down.

Last week, a sting operation aimed at several Take Two outlets in the town of Kabacan in Cotabato province resulted in 20 arrests. The operation was carried out by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and was headed by Hector Geologo, NBI director in Region 12. NBI agents confiscated cash and gambling paraphernalia during the raids, and several of those detained are facing charges.

Interestingly, this strict stance towards street gambling does not extend to internet gambling in the Philippines, which is legal throughout the country. The PAGCOR monopoly also applies online, and the company runs the only licensed internet gambling sites in the Philippines, including online casino, poker, and sports betting operations.

These PAGCOR sites, however, face strong competition from the outside, since foreign-hosted online gambling sites often provide more extensive services to players. Because these offshore gambling sites operate outside of the jurisdiction of the Philipine government, little can be done to prevent Filipinos from using them. This has prompted PAGCOR to put a lot of effort into improving the quality and range of online gaming services they offer, in an attempt to keep players local. The effectiveness of the move has not yet been demonstrated.