Sales of Power Lotto offering P500-M jackpot fails to pick up

The target of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) to have a P500-million jackpot prize for the Power Lotto online lottery game has not really taken off after it was launched some six months ago.

The Power Lotto, which offers an initial P50-million prize for a P50 bet, remains an elusive dream, as the game designed to entice rich players has not attracted the expected bettors.

PCSO spokesman Larry Cedro said the Power Lotto has not generated enough sales, leaving the prize stuck at P50 million.

On June 24, Cedro announced that the Power Lotto as the most exciting online lottery game.

“The Filipinos’ dream of winning a P500-million jackpot in lottery has moved closer to reality with the introduction in the country of Power Lotto,” he said then.

He estimated that the PCSO would generate an additional P149.94 million for its Charity Fund during the first six months alone.

Cedro noted that it is easier for Power Lotto to reach the P500-million jackpot mark since the initial jackpot prize offered is already P50 million.

The initial jackpot prize will be added to the next draw if there is no winner in the previous draw.

“In case there is no jackpot winner for nine consecutive draws, which is possible as seen from experiences in 6/49 Super Lotto draws, the jackpot prize will balloon to P500 million, the biggest in Philippine lotto history,” he said.

The PCSO spokesman said the jackpot prize may even go beyond the P500-million mark if there are consistently no jackpot winners.

But the prize has remained in the P50-million range, with no winner so far.

The biggest jackpot in the 13-year history of online lottery in the Philippines – amounting to P249,005,120.40 – was won last March 30 by a laborer from Quezon City.

To play Power Lotto, a player with a minimum bet of P50 will have to choose five numbers from 1 to 55, plus one “power number” from 1 to 10.

In order to win the jackpot, the bettor must pick the first five numbers in any order and the exact power number.

Aside from the jackpot, a player may also win P700,000 if he picks the first set of five numbers in any order (5+0); P50,000 for four numbers and the power number (4+1); P8,000 for the first set of four numbers (4+0); P4,000 for three numbers and the power number (3+1); P600 for the first set of three numbers (3+0); P400 for two numbers and the power number (2+1); and P100 for one number and the power number (1+1).

Power Lotto is drawn once a week together with the other regular lotto game line-up scheduled on Tuesdays.

At present, Power Ball (as it is called in other countries) is being played successfully in 18 different countries, including the United Kingdom, Spain, Greece, Austria, Chile, Romania, Luxemburg, Belgium, Australia, Portugal, France, New Zealand, Switzerland, Ireland, Israel, Italy and Serbia.