The Philippines state-run lottery operator has declared war on illegal gambling operators and the police that protect them.

On Thursday, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) announced it would impose tougher rules and regulations on small town lottery (STL) operations in a bid to stamp out the illegal jueteng numbers game.

GMA News quoted PCSO chairman Jose Jorge Corpuz saying he’d met with Philippine National Police (PNP) officials, regional directors and city directors to discuss the new rules, which Corpuz said were meant to underscore the fact that “STL is the only legal numbers game that will operate in the country.”

There are currently only 18 licensed STL authorized agent corporations in the country. Corpuz blamed the previous PCSO board for their failure to approve some 189 agent applications, and invited would-be agents to submit new applications before Oct. 31. Corpuz expects some of these new applicants will be illegal operators looking to go legit.