‘Bettor won lotto draws 20 times in a month’

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SEN. Raffy Tulfo yesterday said a list of lotto draw winners submitted by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) showed that one bettor appeared to have won lotto 20 times in one month, while another won 10 times.

In an interview with radio dzBB, Tulfo said the list was submitted to his office by the PCSO in relation to the ongoing Senate inquiry on the integrity of PCSO lotto draws.

“Ito nga po ang sabi ko medyo nakakataas ng kilay. Meron doon isang tao nanalo ng 20 times in one month. Meron din 10 times in one month. Siguro magkapangalan (‘yung mga tao) pero pare-parehong premyo ang pinanaluhan, paulit-ulit in one month (This one caught my attention because there is one name that won 20 times in one month. There is another who won 10 times in one month. Maybe they (bettors) have the same names, but the lotto games they won are also the same),” Tulfo said.

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“Lalong tumambak ang mga questions (This raised more questions),” he also said, adding that a review of the PCSO list indicated that single bettors won the four-digit and two-digit games in a month’s time.

Lyssa Grace Paganao, chief of staff of the PCSO’s Office of the General Manager, submitted to the Senate on February 1 the names of winners and the respective games they won from July 1 last year to January 30, 2024.

The BIR, during past committee hearings, said it will also come up with a report on the taxes paid by each winner to validate the PCSO list.

Tulfo said he has yet to receive the BIR report.

Tulfo said he has observed that lotto jackpots have been easily won since the emergence of the e-lotto system of betting.

“Bakit tuwing draw may nananalo na? Ngayon, walang mintis. Samantalang nung panahon na wala pa itong e-lotto, ang tagal bago mapanaluhan, inaabot ng isang buwan, dalawang buwan (Why is there always a winner in each draw? It’s always a hit. Unlike before when the e-lotto was not yet around, lotto draws are hard to win and it takes a month or two before the jackpot is won),” he said.

Tulfo has been leading an investigation on the integrity of the lotto games since the emergence of the e-lotto, which has also led to the closure of more than 2,000 lotto outlets nationwide.

Tulfo have alleged that lotto draws could have been manipulated by PCSO officials who have access to the source code of the lotto games.

PCSO General Manager Melquiades “Mel” Robles, in a separate interview with dzBB, said he will order an investigation on Tulfo’s disclosure.

He said he was not aware of the senator’s observation because he does not review the winners’ names once prizes are given.

“Puwede pa-imbestigahan ‘yan. Hindi naman mahirap imbestigahan ‘yan (That can be investigated. That’s not hard to investigate),” he said.

In past Senate hearings, Robles denied that lotto draw results can be manipulated.

“By 8:30 p.m., cut-off na. All bets are separated in a flash drive, stand alone ‘yan, not online… So, for that alone, hindi na puwede ma-insert ‘yun (additional lotto bets) kasi may stand alone computer (The cut-off time for betting is 8:30 p.m. Then all bets are separated in a flash drive that is stand alone, not online… So, for that alone, additional bets cannot be inserted because there is a stand alone computer [for the bets]),” Robles has said.

A number of senators have been calling on the PCSO to temporarily stop the pilot run of the e-lotto games until its features have been scrutinized to ensure its integrity.

E-lotto was introduced to the public on December last year. It is a digital version of the traditional lotto games that aims to provide a safe, modern, and accessible gaming experience to the Filipino people.

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