MANILA — Eighteen lucky bettors won lotto jackpots in the first three months of the year as they shared a total amount of PHP872,384,484, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) bared on Wednesday.
In a statement, PCSO General Manager Alexander Balutan revealed the winners, whose names were withheld for security purposes, came from Batangas City, Leyte, Laguna, Isabela, Las Piñas City, and Cavite City.
“Tingnan mo naman, naging milyonaryo ka na, nakatulong ka pa (Look at that, you became a millionaire and you were able to help other people). Let us continue supporting our lotto, digit, and Small Town Lottery (STL) games,” Balutan added.
“As of April 4, we have two winners of Mega Lotto 6/45 worth PHP35.9 million who came from Cainta, Rizal and St. Francis Square Mall,” Balutan said.
Records from the PCSO’s Product Research and Development Division of the Gaming Sector indicated that for January, lotto had six lucky millionaires.
There are two winners for Lotto 6/42 worth PHP24.8 million and PHP7.89 million; one winner for Grand Lotto 6/55 worth PHP29.7 million; one winner for Mega Lotto 6/45 worth PHP9.59 million; and two winners for Ultra Lotto 6/58 but they have to split the PHP331.97 million between them.
For February, Lotto had five winners. One winner for Mega Lotto 6/45 worth PHP45.39 million; one winner for Lotto 6/42 worth PHP49.6 million; two winners for Ultra Lotto 6/58 worth PHP331.97; and one winner for Grand Lotto 6/55 worth PHP64.3 million. The winners came from Batangas, Cavite, Bulacan, Laguna, and Manila.
For March, lotto had five winners. One winner for 6/42 worth PHP26 million; one winner for Mega Lotto 6/45 worth PHP42 million; one winner for Lotto 6/42 worth PHP10.2 million; one winner for Super Lotto 6/49 worth PHP104.2 million; and sole winner for Lotto 6/42 worth PHP12.4 million. The winners came from Oriental Mindoro, Laguna, Cebu City, Manila, Batangas, and Cainta Rizal.
PCSO charter mandates that 55 percent of its revenues should be allocated for prizes, 15 percent for operational expenses, and 30 percent for its “charity fund.”
Last January this year, PCSO has already implemented the 20 percent tax on lottery winnings worth P10,000 or more as stipulated in the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law. With reports from Jay Ray Masayday OJT-PNA-northboundasia.com