P600 million in lotto prizes unclaimed

MANILA, Philippines – More than P600 million in lotto jackpot prizes remains unclaimed, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) said yesterday.

According to Don de Leon, chief of staff of the PCSO chairman’s office, among the major prizes unclaimed are those from the Super Lotto 6/49 and 6/45 Mega Lotto games since they were launched in 1995.

De Leon said the P173-million jackpot sold by an outlet in Taguig City last February is still unclaimed, while the P4.5-million jackpot prize of the Mega Lotto July 20, 2008 draw and the P62-million jackpot prize of the Mega Lotto draw on Oct. 27 last year are also awaiting the rightful claimants.

De Leon said the winners of the Super Lotto and Mega Lotto draws could still claim their prizes within a year after the draw.

He added the rest of the unclaimed prizes would be forfeited in favor of the charity fund to finance and support health programs, medical assistance and services of the PCSO.

“The unclaimed prizes will help PCSO in its medical assistance program to poor patients who are trooping daily to seek help from the government,” De Leon said.

The P173 million is so far the biggest unclaimed Lotto jackpot prize since the online game was launched in 1995.

PSCO officials said the winner may have lost or misplaced the winning ticket.

Lotto players have been advised to take care of their lotto tickets, which are made of thermal paper with bar codes.

Even if the ticket is intact, officials warned of the possibility that the computer might not recognize its bar code because it was folded or accidentally tampered with.