Gambling
Lotto bettors hope to win jackpot prizes
Bettors expressed hope to obtain the lotto jackpot of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) to be drawn on Friday and Saturday after no one won on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
The jackpot of Ultra Lotto 6/58 rose to P259,406,932.80 while the Megalotto 6/55 prize now stands at P202,505,000.
In Mark Salazar’s 24 Oras report on Thursday, sari-sari store owner Alice Atanacio said if she wins the lotto jackpot, she will buy a house since she has been living with her mother despite being 57 years old and married.
However, it is not easy winning in a lotto since there is a one-in-a-million chance of picking the right combination.
In Grand Lotto 6/55, there are about 28,989,675 number combinations, so the probability of getting the right digits is one in over 28 million.
Bong Apoluntisima said in more than three decades of betting, he had only won four times.
He shared that he has been betting on EZ2 Lotto with three to four combinations and won up to P8,000.
Arlene Espino also bet on EZ2 Lotto since her budget can only accommodate that.
“Simple lang po makatapos ng pag-aaral ang tatlo kong anak, makaraos araw araw. Hindi ko po kailangan manalo ng napakalaki,” Espino said.
(I have a simple dream. It’s to see my children finish school and get by our everyday lives. I don’t need to win big.)
In Philippine lotto history, the biggest jackpot of P1 billion was won in 2018.
Two betters won and split the lottery prize. —Mariel Celine Serquiña/RF, GMA Integrated News