Iloilo newspaper dealer claims P8M lotto jackpot

MANILA, Philippines—A 32-year-old newspaper dealer from Iloilo on Thursday claimed the P8-million jackpot she won for the 6/42 lotto draw last September 24, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office said.

PCSO general manager Jose Ferdinand Rojas II said the winner was accompanied by her husband and mother when she went to the PCSO headquarters in Pasay City to claim her prize amounting to P8,221,248.

The bettor, who intends to use part of her newfound wealth to expand her business and buy a property for her family, correctly guessed the winning combination, 10-12-15-02-04-31.

According to Rojas, the lone winner had placed a P30 bet and let the computer pick the six-number combinations.

Unlike past winners who often used the birth dates or ages of family members, the bettor selected the winning combination through lucky pick, or selection made by the computer, Rojas said.

“Little did she know that a few hours later, she would become an instant millionaire,” he said of the bettor, who has one child.

The biggest lotto prize in recent history was won last November by a balikbayan (Filipino returnee) from New York, who pocketed P741 million for winning the 6/55 Grand Lotto. A few months after, a 60-year-old carpenter and neighborhood watchman in Las Piñas City won the P356-million jackpot of the Grand Lotto.