P236,091,188.40 cash prize divided by 433 winners is equal to P545,245.24
This was how the 6/55 Grand Lotto jackpot was distributed to each lucky bettor, who is now a part of Philippine Lottery history on Saturday, October 1.
It was the largest number of people to ever win the lottery’s top prize, which sparked surprise and questions, putting the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) in the spotlight of controversy.
For PCSO, having a winning combination with a series of numbers that are all multiples of nine (09-45-36-27-18-54) is extremely rare. Nonetheless, it is theoretically possible because lottery is after all a game of chance.
PCSO officials assured the public that no irregularities happened during the televised lotto draws, and claimed that many bettors have long been “taking care” of those numbers.
However, some lawmakers found it suspicious that the two chambers of Congress are eyeing to conduct their respective investigations into the PCSO’s strange and unusual lotto results.
They stressed that it is an urgent issue that they must investigate on order to protect and ensure the integrity of the lottery system, especially since this is a government-approved gambling game.
As of Monday, October 3, almost half of the lucky bettors have shown up at the PCSO to claim their prizes, according to the agency.
Thumbnail photo by Waldemar Brandt on Unsplash
