TLDR
- Online bettors in the Philippines have asked the NBI to investigate an online gaming platform over an estimated PHP4 billion to PHP5 billion in unpaid jackpots.
- The bettors say wins from the platform’s Lucky Spin feature were blamed on system glitches and never credited to their accounts.
- One bettor says he won PHP570 million and was later pushed to sign a waiver and accept PHP300,000.
- The complaints name the gaming platform, company officials, and officials of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.
- The NBI says it will review the affidavits before deciding whether to issue subpoenas.
A group of online bettors in the Philippines has asked the National Bureau of Investigation to look into claims of unpaid jackpot winnings. The complainants say an online gaming platform failed to pay prizes worth an estimated PHP4 billion to PHP5 billion.
The bettors say wins recorded through the platform’s Lucky Spin feature were blamed on system glitches. They claim the money was never credited to their accounts.
Five bettors, joined by their lawyers, submitted affidavits to the NBI National Capital Region office on Thursday. Lawyer Leo la Victoria said eight complainants have come forward in total.
The group says the affidavits describe jackpots that appeared during play but never showed up in account balances.
Bettor Says He Was Pressured to Accept PHP300,000
One complainant said he won PHP570 million in a single game. He said customer service staff later told him there was no record of the win.
The bettor described a meeting with company representatives at their Taguig office on June 11, 2025. He said he was pushed to sign a waiver and accept PHP300,000.
He said that when he first refused, a representative told him he would not be allowed to leave. He said the experience left him feeling unsafe, and he later moved to another location.
The PHP300,000 payment he described was separate from the PHP570 million prize he says he won. His complaint covers both the disputed jackpot and how the waiver was signed.
Another complainant, known as Cat, submitted videos and screenshots tied to two jackpots. The first was for PHP485 million on March 24, 2025, and the second was for PHP539 million on April 3, 2025.
Cat said neither amount was credited to her account. She said her recordings and screenshots back up her claim that she won.
Her complaint is part of the wider request for investigators to examine how the platform handled the alleged prizes. The amounts described by the bettors are still claims, and the NBI has not verified any of the winnings.
Gaming Company and PAGCOR Officials Named
La Victoria estimated the total winnings claimed by all eight complainants at between PHP4 billion and PHP5 billion. That figure covers the whole group, not only the jackpots described in detail.
The charge sheets name the gaming platform, officials of the gaming company, and officials of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. The complainants asked for an independent investigation.
La Victoria said the group would leave any decision on legal or regulatory violations to the NBI. Filing the affidavits is a request for review, not a finding against the parties named.
NBI-NCR chief Emerito Dongallo said the bureau will first examine the affidavits. Investigators will decide whether the claims have enough basis to move forward.
Dongallo said the investigation would be impartial and that the complainants’ statements would be reviewed carefully.
Subpoenas to the companies and officials named in the complaints will depend on the results of that first review.
