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IN an effort to stem the leakage of billions in revenue, stiffer penalties for "whe whe" operators and other illegal gaming houses are on the cards.

Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo, in his budget presentation on October 13, gave this warning as he revealed that underground betting schemes were costing the State.

Tancoo said the National Lotteries Control Board (NLCB) earns almost $3 billion annually, but its profits are being eroded by an illegal parallel market worth an estimated $9 billion.