PCSO: 433 people betting on winning lotto numbers not unusual

MANILA, Philippines — Having more than 400 bettors win the lotto is a happy development, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office said Sunday as it said it found nothing wrong with the coincidence that will make each of the winners more than P500,000 richer.

In a press briefing, PCSO General Manager Mel Robles said the sweepstakes office is open to investigation but said they "found nothing wrong" in the Saturday evening draw of the 6/55 Grand Lotto draw on Saturday night where 433 people bet on the winning combination.

Robles said it was a "natural occurrence" and that many bettors have number combinations that they "take care of", or regularly bet on. He added he was glad that the P236-million jackpot will be split among more winners, especially since the holiday season is coming.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel earlier Sunday said that he would seek hearings at the Senate to check the "integrity" of the lotto draws, which are televised. 

"We need to make sure that these games have integrity," he said in a mix of English and Filipino on Super Radyo dzBB. He said that if hearings push through, statisticians will be asked to weigh in while the PCSO will also be given a chance to explain its lotto system.

In a separate statement, Sen. Risa Hontiveros — the only other senator in the minority bloc — said she supports Pimentel's call to investigate the lotto dra.w 

"We just want rule out any doubts in the public mind that the results have been manipulated. While we recognize that people tend to bet in patterns, we also want to make sure the system is secure, free from glitches, and trustworthy," she said.