Lotto pot may reach P353 million

MANILA, Philippines - The projected jackpot prize in the Grand Lotto draw tonight is expected to reach at least P353 million – the biggest ever in the history of all lotteries of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

The hundred million-peso jackpot prize in the PCSO’s newest game remains elusive and has yet to be bagged by a lucky bettor.

No one won the jackpot prize of P333,577,429.20 in last Saturday night’s draw, as no bettor was able to correctly place the winning number combination of 15-38-17-39-11-03, said Liza Gabuyo, PCSO’s assistant general manager for online lottery.

“We estimate the jackpot prize for Monday night’s draw to be at P353 million,” Gabuyo said after last Saturday’s draw. “And the amount could even go higher depending on ticket sales.”

More and more bettors place their combinations, as jackpots get bigger in the lotto games, the PCSO said.

Before the jackpot prize in the Grand Lotto hit P353 million, the highest jackpot prize in the history of the PCSO’s lotto games was the P347 million in a Super Lotto draw in February 2009. Two winners shared the jackpot prize.

Launched last April, the 6/55 Grand Lotto replaced the Power Lotto in the PCSO’s bid to address increased requests for medical assistance from indigent patients.

The PCSO’s newest game uses a single panel betting system just like previous lotto games and bettors can choose six numbers in any order from 1 to 55.

The PCSO conducts Grand Lotto draws thrice a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.