MANILA — The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) General Manager, Mel Robles, announced on Tuesday (24 Jan 2023) that they are extending an invitation to members of the Senate Committee on Games and Amusements.

The purpose, he said, is for the senators to observe and draw objective conclusions and recommendations regarding the lottery processes.

GM Robles expressed confidence in the integrity of their lottery procedures, emphasizing that the best way to dispel any doubts is to allow the senators firsthand observation of the draws.

“For the past 89 years, the PCSO has maintained an unquestionable integrity, and we are committed to upholding that untarnished reputation,” Robles affirmed.

He went on to state, “That’s why we are inviting our honorable senators to witness the actual processes in action.”

Taking an extra step, GM Robles encouraged the senators to conduct unannounced inspections to further assure the integrity of the lottery operations.

In a letter dated January 22, GM Robles invited the lawmakers to witness the entire lotto draw process, from pre-draw preparations to the actual draw, on any day without prior notice, in the interest of transparency.

The letter was addressed to Committee Chairperson Sen. Manuel Lapid, Vice-Chairpersons Sen. Christopher ‘Bong’ Go and Sen. Raffy Tulfo, and committee members Senators Jose Ejercito Jr., Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero, Ramon Bong Revilla Jr., Francis Tolentino, and Risa Hontiveros.

“If you choose to send a representative, we simply ask for official written authorization for him or her,” GM Robles added.

“We are committed to openness and accountability in the conduct of all our lottery activities. Fostering transparency in the lotto draw process is crucial in maintaining public trust and confidence in the integrity of our operations,” emphasized GM Robles.

(By el Amigo/MNM)

MANILA — The year 2024 is fast shaping up to be a banner and record-breaking year for the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) as it continues to register record sales, while also churning out multi-millionaires one after the other to the delight of millions of Filipino bettors.

In a record-setting week since General Manager Mel Robles took the helm in July 2022, the PCSO had managed to produce two multi-millionaires in succession resulting in the charity body giving away some P1.4-B in prizes in just two days.

“Ito naman talaga ang gusto natin. Ang makapagbigay tayo ng kasiyahan sa ating mga mananaya at sa ganoon ay patuloy nilang tangkilikin ang mga laro natin sa PCSO,” GM Robles said.

(This is what we want. To bring hope and joy to our bettors for them to continue patronizing and trusting our games at the PCSO).

He continued: “Habang mas maraming tumataya ay mas marami rin ang matutulungan nating mga kababayan. Ang sabi ko nga sa bawat taya, may kawanggawa.”

(The more people who would patronize our games, the more help and assistance we can render to our countrymen who are in need. As I always say, more bets, equals more charity services.)   

GM Robles stated after a lone winner finally hit the Grand Lotto 6/55 jackpot worth over P698 million on Wednesday night (Jan. 17) with the correct combination of 24-50-52-09-51-03 through E-Lotto.

This is the first major jackpot win secured through the online platform since its launch in early December 2023.

It was the second time in as many days that a lone winner bagged over P600 million in a lotto draw.

On Tuesday, Jan. 16, a bettor won P640,654,817.60 with the combination 26-33-14-48-06-42 in the Super Lotto 6/49 draw.

Meantime, a lone winner won the UltraLotto 6/58 on December 29, or barely three days before New Year which carried a prize of over P571 million, the biggest jackpot in 2023.

To recall, the PCSO on Dec. 16, 2023, raised the minimum guaranteed jackpot of the Grand Lotto 6/55, Ultra Lotto 6/58, and, later on, SuperLotto 6/49 to a whopping P500-million each as part of its ‘Handog Pakabog’ Christmas draws.

Before the New Year, the Agency also raised the jackpot prizes of Lotto 6/42 and MegaLotto 6/45 to P100 million each.

Three bettors hit the 6/42 jackpot on Jan. 02, which carried a prize of over P108 million.

Meantime, the Megalotto 6/45 jackpot worth more than P121.8 million was won on January 8 which was split by two winners.

Record 1-day sales

Aside from giving away huge prizes, the PCSO is also continuing to draw more bettors after it recorded P265 million in one-day sales on Tuesday (January 16).

The amount was the highest recorded one-day sales in over five years or since October 14, 2018, when the prize pot reached P1.18 billion.

(el Amigo/MNM)