An operator of one of the country’s biggest mall-based bingo games has filed estafa charges against a player and three of its employees on suspicion of alleged conspiracy to cheat and win P3.96 million in jackpot prize.
In a statement, BingoPlus said it was filing the charges in keeping with its commitment “to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and trust within our community.”
The company stressed that it “has zero tolerance for any form of misconduct and will take all necessary legal actions to ensure that these individuals will be punished for their criminal actions.”
“BingoPlus remains dedicated to providing a safe, fair, and enjoyable gaming experience for all,” the firm said.
The accused were identified as BingoPlus SM City Cauayan employees Jefferson Castillo, Catherine Vargas, and Liwliwa Viloria, who allegedly conspired BingoPlus player Rafael Ramirez to manipulate the result of the Bingo Milyonaryo game held in the SM City Cauayan branch of BingoPlus.
In the complaint filed on Thursday with the Office of the City Prosecutor in Cauayan City,
Isabela, the suspects are accused were cited for allegedly engaging in “game fixing activities” and employing “fraudulent practices” to ensure that Ramirez would win the Bingo Milyonaryo jackpot on January 19, 2024.
Castillo was the Bingo host during the game, while Vargas and Viloria were the game attendants on duty.
According to the complaint, as a result of the “concerted acts” of the three BingoPlus employees, they were able “to successfully implement their devious scheme of helping their cohort, Ramirez, to win the jackpot prize.”
Ramirez later complained to the Bingo Plus SM City Cauayan branch manager claiming he had been “scammed” by the three BingoPlus employees.
The police subsequently conducted an investigation that resulted in the discovery of the conspiracy theory showing Ramirez, Castillo, Vargas, and Viloria divided the P3.16-million winnings among themselves.
An internal investigation conducted by Grand Polaris Gaming Co. Inc., the operator of BingoPlus, also disclosed that the three BingoPlus employees had devised and implemented a scheme to fix the game by ensuring that the bingo numbers to be announced by Castillo in the Bingo Milyonaryo game matched those in the bingo card purchased by Ramirez, the game’s lone bettor.
To verify the allegations of game fixing, the audit team gathered evidence and extensively reviewed the CCTV and camera footage of the Bingo Plus SM City Cauayan Branch. The team also reviewed pertinent records and supporting documents, evaluated and tested the control activities composing the Bingo Milyonaryo game, and also interviewed concerned employees.
BingoPlus explained in their statement that following their extensive internal investigation, “we discovered that these individuals conspired to defraud BingoPlus through fraudulent schemes aimed at securing wins in our bingo games. These actions clearly constitute a serious violation of law.”
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “BingoPlus operator files charges against player, employees involved in scam.”
