Lotto’s rare streak makes two millionaires

Millionaires producer The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office’s lotto games is churning out record number of millionaires in faster pace recently than the previous years. File Photo">Millionaires producer The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office’s lotto games is churning out record number of millionaires in faster pace recently than the previous years. File Photo

In a rare and lucky streak, the state gaming firm Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) has produced two millionaires in two consecutive draws of its Super Lotto 6/49 game.

“It’s two millionaires in a row for Super Lotto 6/49,” PCSO General Manager Alexander Balutan said.

He described the development as lucky start for the year, after two bettors hit the Super Lotto 6/49 jackpot on 27 and 29 January draws.

On 27 January, a bettor luckily guessed the winning numbers of 11-41-03-20-47-22 and on the next draw last 29 January, another bettor nailed it with 11-34-30-10-07-21 combination.

Each winner took home the P15,840,000.00 minimum jackpot prize.

As it is, in January alone, the PCSO already gave away a total of P522,039,761 in jackpot prizes for different lotto games which were shared by nine winners.

Of the nine winners, three hit the jackpot in the Super Lotto 6/49; two from the Ultra Lotto 6/58; two from Lotto 6/42, one from Grand Lotto 6/55 and one from the Mega Lotto 6/45 draw.

Experts said the chances of winning in the lotto draws are one in 5,245,786 for Lotto 6/42; one in 8,145,060 for Mega Lotto 6/45; one in 13,983,816 for Super Lotto 6/49; one in 28,989,675 for Grand Lotto 6/55; and 1 in 40,475,358 for Ultra Lotto 6/58.

It used to be that lotto winnings are tax-free but the recent approval of Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law took away that privilege as winners are now slapped with 20 percent tax cut.