Philippine Lotto
The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) is the principal government agency that oversees legal lottery in the Philippines.
In 1995, the PCSO launched the very first On-Line lottery in the Philippines. Similar to the successful lottery games in the U.S., Europe and Australia - the On-line lottery, better known as the lotto - brought a new dimension of fun and excitement for the betting public.
Philippine Lotto was a big hit despite strong opposition from certain quarters. Its legality was questioned but the Supreme Court ruled that the new lottery was legal.
The PCSO holds three 6-pick number games:
- the 6/42 Lotto (drawn every Tuesdays and Saturdays and has a minimum jackpot prize of P3,000,000.00)
- the 6/45 Mega Lotto (drawn every Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, with a minimum jackpot prize of P4,500,000.00)
- the 6/49 Super Lotto (drawn evey Thursdays and Sundays, with a minimum jackpot prize of P8,000,000.00)
All of these number games can be played using the system play (systems 7 to 12), 5 Roll, and Lucky Pick.
The PCSO also conducts the 6-digit (6D), 4-digit (4D), 3-digit (Suertres Lotto), and 2-digit (EZ2) games.
The 6D game is played only in Luzon (the main island group on the northern part of the Philippines). Draw days for this game are Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays with minimum guaranteed amount (MGA) of P150,000.00.
The 4D game is played nationwide on the same days as that of the 6/45 Mega Lotto, which are on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The first prize for this game is set at P30,000.00.
The Suertres Lotto game is played only in Visayas and Mindanao (the main island groups south of Luzon). This game is drawn everyday with MGA of P4,500.00.
The EZ2 game is drawn everyday but is played only in Luzon with a MGA of P4,000.00.