Jaworski backs regulation of TV text contests

Sen. Robert Jaworski welcomed yesterday the move of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) to go after text games and contests on television programs, saying addiction to this promos are draining the Filipinos of hard-earned money.

Jaworski, chairman of the Senate committee on economic affairs, said that the text games on TV are generating million of pesos from an unwitting public drawn by the high prizes at stake.

"These TV shows can afford to offer huge prizes because the chances of one’s winning the game are a million to one, even higher than one’s chances of winning the lotto," he said.

The text games charge participants P2 to as much as P10 for every text sent.

The National Telecommunications Commission said as much as 110 million text messages are sent to these TV games daily. At P2 per text message, these games can generate up to P220 million a day.

"Those people who join the games are actually funding the much coveted prize. It’s their pool of money which they themselves have spent that are being given away," he said.

Pagcor Chairman Efraim Genuino said sales and promotional campaigns using text messaging involving wagers could be classified as gambling.

"It is high time that government does something drastic against these games and it is but right that they be branded as gambling which they really are," Jaworski said. – Efren Danao