MALACAÑANG on Thursday, August 1, refused to acknowledge reports that the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) lost P250 million due to the four-day suspension of lotto operations in the country.
"'Yung [P250 million], hindi naman nawala 'yun. Paano mawawala 'yun? Kasi 'yun, kumbaga, 'yung apat na araw na hindi nila pag-lagay, ilalagay nila sa pag-bukas (The P250 million is not gone. How can it be gone? The lotto draws has resumed following the four-day suspension)," Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a press conference.
"Hindi naman nawala 'yun. Paano mawawala 'yun? Na-delay lang (That's not gone. How can it be gone? It's just delayed)," he added.
On Wednesday, July 31, PCSO General Manager Royina Garma said the agency lost around P250 million from lotto revenues alone as she noted that the lottery game generates roughly P60 million per day.
Duterte ordered the suspension of all PCSO-licensed games due to "massive" corruption within the agency on January 26, but lifted the order for lotto on Tuesday.
Lotto operations formally resumed on Wednesday. All other gaming operations under the PCSO such as Small Town Lottery, Keno, and Peryahan ng Bayan remained suspended pending the investigation. (SunStar Philippines)