crackdown against the game, citing its role in providing income, and fears those who lose that income would turn to activities such as the drug trade. Around the same time, police chiefs were declared responsible if jueteng operations continued to occur under their areas of jurisdiction. Sanctioned jueteng Although much has been tried to eradicate this form of unregulated gambling by the government, all such efforts have failed due to the game's widespread popularity. In 1987 under the Presidency of Corazon Aquino, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) first sanctioned and began operating a similar game, called the "Small Town Lottery" (STL). This was meant to compete with illegal operations, and direct revenue from the games to the government. They increased the number that bettors have to choose from 37 to 40. This choice was made to seemingly detach STL's identity from that of jueteng and decrease the odds of winning. STL was suspended in 1990, following which an investigation by the House of Representatives found that STL franchises were given to known jueteng operators. However, the game was revived in 2005, under the Presidency of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, following which it was asserted that jueteng operations increased. It was suspended by President Duterte for a month in 2019, with Duterte asserting "massive corruption" within the PCSO board. The Philippine National Police reported a rise in jueteng operations during this time. Individuals who relied on the STL for income stated they would be forced to return to jueteng if the STL remained closed. It has been asserted that illegal jueteng games were also run through branches and staff of the PCSO. The Commission on Audit estimates that corrupt PCSO STL practices cost the government a combined in missing receipts in 2017 and 2018. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines has come out against the STL. STL, along with other PCSO lottery games, was suspended in Luzon during the COVID-19 pandemic. Politicians and unsanctioned jueteng One study estimated that a third of all money collected goes to the operators, with another third going to bribes for police and politicians. The Catholic Church in the Philippines has admitted to receiving proceeds from gambling. One of the suggested reasons for legalization was to eliminate repeated corruption scandals emphasizing the apparent inability of the ban to be enforced, and the significant drain on police resources created by the need for enforcement. It has