Minority senators seek probe on ‘extraordinary’ Grand Lotto draw

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Minority senators are seeking an investigation into the “extraordinary” Grand Lotto draw where 433 bettors all got the winning combination for the ₱236 million jackpot.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and Senator Risa Hontiveros on Sunday said a Senate resolution is needed to allay suspicion of irregularity in the results of the lottery that is managed by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

“Statistically speaking, this is a very rare event,” Pimentel said over radio dzBB.

Pimentel said he will be filing a resolution as there is a need to have the lotto draw investigated “to ensure the integrity of our lotto games.”

“I will file a resolution, because this is my concern, 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,” Pimentel said.

“We have to look at the entire system of our lotto games. This is a good chance kasi maraming nagtatanong (because so many people are wondering),” he stressed.

Hontiveros, for her part, backs Pimentel’s call to have the lotto draw probed.

“I support my minority leader in his call to investigate the extraordinary results of last night’s lotto draw,” Hontiveros said in a statement.

“We just want to rule out any doubts in the public mind that the results have been manipulated. While we recognize that people tend to bet in patterns, we also want to make sure the system is secure, free from glitches, and trustworthy,” she added.

A total of 433 bettors will divide among themselves the ₱236,091,188 jackpot for last Saturday night’s 6/55 Grand Lotto. Each winning bettor became ₱545,245 richer.

The winning bettors got the combination of 09-45-36-27-18-54.

/MUF