A historic event shook the Philippines on Saturday night, Oct. 1, 2022; thousands of viewers, if not millions, glued to the telecast probably felt a seismic envy when they learned that 433 bettors won the 6/55 Grand Lotto’s P236 million jackpot. The magnitude of envy could have been more intense if there was only a lone winner.
It was a first in Philippine (legal) gambling history that more than 400 bettors hit the jackpot, according to the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO). Would this happen again? Possibly. Not a single person can tell—only time (or the draw balls) can tell.
Of over four million residents in Cebu, 14 individuals were very lucky because they were among the winners. They have become instant semi-millionaires (or half-millionaires?).
Each winning bettor will get P545,245.24, which is subject to a final tax of 20 percent, which can be said to be a cut for the government and it can use for its charitable work for the poor, particularly those who cannot afford to buy a lotto ticket.
The winners need to bet and pray that they can win at least another P500,000 for them to become real millionaires.
What are the odds of winning the lottery? University of the Philippines professor of mathematics Dr. Guido David said on Monday, Oct. 3, that having 433 winning bettors in a single lotto draw is “highly unusual” but not completely impossible.
The probability of having 433 winning bettors in a single lotto draw is one out of one followed by 1,224 zeros, he said in a report.
David, also a fellow at Octa Research, noted that the probability of winning the 6/55 Grand Lotto jackpot is one in nearly 29 million, which means that there were also nearly 29 million possible combinations of numbers from six to 55. The professor was referring to the winning combination 09-45-36-27-18-54 during Saturday’s draw.
This historic event has raised eyebrows, including those of Senate Minority Floor Leader Aquilino Pimentel III, who said he will file a resolution seeking an inquiry on the gaming activities of the PCSO because it is his concern that “these lotto games are authorized by the Republic of the Philippines.” “Therefore, we need to maintain and protect the integrity of these gambling games that we have authorized,” he said.
For the peace of mind of lotto enthusiasts (addicts would be too harsh a word) and erase doubts about the PCSO, it would be good for the Senate to find out if the lotto draws cannot succumb to any kinds of sabotage. The PCSO leadership has defended the Oct. 1 draws, saying there was no irregularity.
What will the Senate do if it will conduct an inquiry? Will it subpoena all the 433 winning bettors to the plenary to verify their identities? Or will it hold the investigation in an executive session to protect them from balato-seeking people.
Then, what difference will the Senate make if it pushes through with the inquiry suggested by Pimentel? One can’t place a bet on one’s answer.