P127M in lotto prizes still unclaimed

The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) Wednesday urged lotto jackpot winners to claim their prizes or these may end up being donated to charity.

The agency said in a statement that it was still waiting for four winners to claim a total of P127.2 million in jackpot prizes for number combinations that were drawn between January and August.

Lotto jackpot winners are usually given 365 days to claim their prize before it is forfeited.

Unclaimed prizes revert to the agency’s charity fund and are used to render medical assistance to qualified individuals seeking help from the office.

The PCSO urged lotto ticket buyers to take care of their ticket and put it in a safe place to avoid misplacing or losing it. It also urged them to keep track of lotto draw results.

Based on the agency’s records, the winners of unclaimed jackpot prizes are a bettor from Pasay City who won P61 million in the January 4 Superlotto 6/49 draw (10-11-18-20-22-26); a ticket holder who  guessed the correct number combination to snag the P23.7 million jackpot during the March 15 Lotto 6/42 draw (05-08-11-21-27-42); another ticket holder who won P4.5 million in the March 25 Megalotto 6/45 draw (19-23-28-36-40-44) and a Sultan Kudarat resident who hit the P38 million jackpot prize during the August 17 6/45 Megalotto draw (14-20-25-26-27-40).

The PCSO runs several lotto-based numbers games that have helped financed the agency’s charity projects for indigent Filipinos.