The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office needs to pause its operations while the alleged irregularities in its system, which enable games to be manipulated, are being investigated, according to Senator Imee Marcos on Friday.

“I am very upset about the lotto. I lost my hope for it. I filed a resolution in January 2023 to investigate the PCSO and PAGCOR because the results were mathematically improbable,” Senator Marcos told reporters in a virtual interview.

“Winning the jackpot prizes was very frequent… It was truly a mystery. It was impossible to happen… Until they explain these things they should stop the lotto draws,” she added.

Likewise, Senator Marcos said she is not satisfied with the answers provided by the PCSO officials during the Senate hearing, stressing that people are “not fool to believe their explanations.”

“Nobody is believing them anymore. I feel pity for those who are still placing their bets. That is their only hope yet they are being robbed and fooled,” she said.

The PCSCO earlier denied that the results of the lotto draws, particularly the recent 6/49 Grand Lotto draw, were being manipulated.

“We would like to assure you that you can never, never manipulate it,” PCSO General Manager Mel Robles told lawmakers during Thursday’s Senate hearing when asked about the alleged rigging of its system to favor a winning combination.

“That is why we are allowed to bet. Even I can bet because it’s beyond me. Even if we wanted to, with the system we have, we cannot,” Robles added.

In the same hearing, the PCSO, however, admitted that the photo announcing the winner who bagged the 6/42 Grand Lotto draw jackpot prize totaling P43.8 million last month was edited.

Robles explained that the reason behind it was to conceal the identity of the winners for their safety.

“Someone complained to us one time. We covered the face, but the winner’s clothes were recognizable. The winner asked us if we could not show the clothes. So that’s why (editing) that,” he said.