Pimentel: One bettor winning 20 times a month 'impossible'

It is impossible for one person to win in the lottery 20 times in a month, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III.

Pimentel, who has a degree in mathematics from the Ateneo de Manila University, made the remark after Senator Raffy Tulfo disclosed that a bettor's name appeared to have won the lotto 20 times in one month, citing a list submitted by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

"Not heard about it yet. Will get details first. But if that is the case, then that is not only improbable BUT impossible," Pimentel said in a text message to reporters.

In an interview on Dobol B TV on Tuesday, Tulfo also said another bettor won 10 times in one month.

"Siguro baka magkapangalan pero still pare-pareho 'yung premyo ang pinanalunan...Paulit-ulit in one month... Lalong tumambak ang mga questions," Tulfo said.

(Maybe there are some winners who just have the same name but the games that they won were also the same.)

Pimentel was one of the senators who sought the investigation into the integrity of the PCSO games.

He earlier described the frequent winnings during the period when PCSO augmented the jackpot as “quite unnatural.”

“In one month’s time, napanalunan lahat ng five lotto games ng PCSO after the augmentation of the jackpot… So P1.7 billion ang augmentation parang pamasko nung 2023. Natamaan lahat iyon in more or less one month,” Pimentel said.

(In one month's time, all the five lotto games of PCSO have been won after the augmentation of the jackpot...So the P1.7 billion augmentation was like a Christmas gift. It was won in more or less one month.)

“There have been past instances na more than P500 million ang jackpot, hindi augmented but the natural accumulation of the jackpot and yet tingnan natin ang time period bago siya tinamaan. It took mga three to four months,” he added.

(There have been instances where it took three to four months before the P500 million jackpot was won.The amount was not augmented but a natural accumulation of jackpot,)

In February, the PCSO submitted to the Senate the list of names of lotto winners from July 2023 to January 30,2024.

The Senate committee has been investigating the recent PCSO games amid allegations of "manipulation" and senators' questions on the frequent winnings of lotto games with huge amounts of jackpot prizes.

In a statement regarding Tulfo's remark on one person winning 20 times in a month, PCSO General Manager Mel Robles said, "To begin with, these are not jackpot bearing games."

He added that one person claiming winnings several times didn't mean he won as many draws.

"The premise is all wrong. There were 20 claims made by one person not necessarily the winner because a winning valid ticket is transferable," Robles said.

"Meaning a winner can ask someone to claim his prize for him. And most of the time they ask the lotto agent to do it for them for a number of reasons," he added.

"Could be rediscounting or inability to claim the prize due to mobility issues, etc. The data they saw is not about winning per se.In actuality it is about claiming," Robles said.

Robles had repeatedly denied that the PCSO can manipulate the results of lotto games amid allegations and senators' questions about the frequent winnings of lotto games.

“We would like to assure you that you can never, never manipulate it. Kaya nga allowed kami mag-bet, Mr. Chair. Even I can bet because it’s beyond me. Even if we wanted to, with the system we have, we cannot,” Robles said in a previous Senate hearing.

“I take exception na kayang panalunin. Definitely, madami pong tataya kung malaki ang jackpot. ‘Yun po naman ang objective namin– to really bring in bettors,” the PCSO official added.

(I take exception to the allegation. Definitely, more people will place bets because of the higher jackpot prize. That was really our objective, to bring in more bettors.)

Robles also previously explained that there was a surplus fund to augment the lotto prizes and they did it as a “marketing campaign” to encourage the public to place their bets for higher prizes.—AOL, GMA Integrated News