New lotto jackpot could reach P400M - PCSO

The hike in the minimum lotto bet to P20 will mean patrons could win a jackpot of up to P400 million, a Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office official said Friday. "This is the first time PCSO will have an increase on its lotto bets since it was introduced last March 8, 1995...We have doubled the bet rates but we also doubled the jackpot price," PCSO spokesman Larry Cedro said in a press conference. Cedro noted the the highest lotto jackpot ever won was P202 million on March 8, 2001 based on the P10 minimum bet and thus the new jackpot could go as high as P400 million. The minimum will be raised from P10 to P20 starting August 15. The new jackpot prizes will be the following: Lotto 6/42 (drawn every Tuesday and Saturday), P6 million from the original P3 million; Mega Lotto 6/45 (Monday-Wednesday-Friday), P9 million from P4.5 million; and Super Lotto 6/49 (Thursda and /Sunday), P16 million from P8 million. The jackpot is carried over to the following week's draw when there are no top winners. Cedro stressed that the minimum bet in other PCSO games such as EZ2, Suertes, four- and six-digit games will remain at P10. He added that with the higher minimum bet, the PCSO can also increase its allotment on charity funds, equivalent to 30 percent of lotto earnings. Cedro noted that the PCSO allotted P983 million for the hospitalization of indigents in 2005 and P1.9 billion in 2006 under its individual medical assistance program (IMAP). He also said that the PCSO gave free medicines to local government units and nongovernment organizations worth more than P5 million in 2005 and P25 million in 2006. -GMANews.TV