2 Pagcor workers ‘pocket’ slot money

Two Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) employees are facing a criminal case in court for allegedly falsifying a slot machine receipt and pocketing about P36,200 from a jackpot prize.

Prosecutor Simaco Labata found evidence to charge Lope Cristobal, the agency’s assistant slot machine head, and Mark Paul Francisco, slot data control staff, with falsification of a public document before the Regional Trial Court.

“The act of respondents in preparing a fictitious receipt with an amount of P36,200, making it appear there was a customer who won a winning jackpot from the slot machine, constitutes a crime of falsification of public document,” read Labata’s resolution.

The case stemmed from the complaint filed by Pagcor-Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino, accusing the respondents of falsification of a commercial document before the City Prosecutor’s Office.

The state-run casino said the accused falsified the slot machine computer receipt system last Sept. 20, 2017, and made it appear that a patron won a jackpot prize worth P36, 200.

But verification by the casino management revealed that no one won a jackpot from that slot machine.

The casino’s treasury officer also checked the system and discovered that there was no such jackpot winner in the system.

The prosecutor subpoenaed the respondents, who failed to submit their counter-affidavits.

In indicting the respondents, Prosecutor Labata said the accused falsified the slot machine receipts by affixing their signatures on the receipt to make it appear that a certain slot machine had a jackpot winner.

Bail was set at P24, 000.