Lottery gambling gives bettors a chance to win a huge amount of money. Bettors will only have to pay a small amount of money to buy a lottery ticket and hope to win instant money in return. In the Philippines, both online and offline lottery games are legal. It is regulated by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR). To play the lottery in the Philippines, bettors must buy a lottery ticket wherein each number they will include in their winning combination costs PHP 20. There are several types of lottery games in the Philippines wherein bettors can choose from. Each type of lottery game has different mechanics and jackpot prizes. However, the main gameplay instruction of the Philippine Lottery is to guess the winning number combination before the draw. Those who guessed the right combination will win the lottery game.

What is Lottery?

A lottery is a type of gambling that offers low-odd chances of winning money. The winners are selected by a random drawing. It is a popular form of gambling that encourages people to pay a small sum of money in return for having a chance of winning a big jackpot prize. Oftentimes, the lottery refers to a cheaper and easier way to obtain money if you are lucky enough. Lottery tickets are not usually expensive. However, the costs can pile up over the years, and the chances of winning are very slim. Therefore, it may not be a cheaper and easier way as everyone may think. According to experts, there is a greater chance of being struck by lightning or becoming a billionaire by hard work than winning the jackpot prize in the lottery. Now, lotteries are available online as well and it has been legal in a lot of countries right now, including the Philippines.

History of the Philippine Lottery

Back then, physical and online gambling, like the lottery, was not allowed in the Philippines. However, the Philippine Gambling Industry, throughout the years, was not always illegal. With the establishment of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), both online and offline gambling can now operate legally in the Philippines. PAGCOR was established in 1976, but the lottery in the country had been around since 1883. The lottery was known to be established by the Spanish government. The Spanish regime used the lottery as one of the revenues of the national treasury when it was operated by the Spanish private company Empressa de Reales Loteria Espanolas de Filipinas. However, the Philippines Lottery was forced to close because of the Philippine Revolution. After the revolution in 1932, the first lottery draw began. Then, the Philippine government decided to hold more lottery draws and use the lottery to raise funds for the benefit of young people and fight disease for the public welfare.

How does the Philippine Lottery Work?

The Local Philippine Online Gambling Lottery is managed by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO). It is a lottery agency in the Philippines established in 1935. It offers five major lottery games, namely 6/42, 6/45, 6/49, 6/55, and 6/58. All of these have different jackpot prize amounts and are drawn on different days. 6/42’s jackpot prize is PHP 6 million and is drawn every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. 6/45’s jackpot prize is PHP 9 million and is drawn every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. 6/49’s jackpot prize is PHP 16 million and is drawn every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. 6/55’s jackpot prize is PHP 30 million and is drawn every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. 6/58’s jackpot prize is PHP 50 million and is drawn every Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday. The price of each number combination is PHP 20. When there's no winner, the prize money is rolled over. As a result, the prize becomes higher.

The bettors will have to buy a lottery ticket at any PCSO-authorized lotto outlet or online at LottoSmile. They must select their preferred combination of six numbers or select Lucky Pick (LP) on their ticket, indicating they want the computer to generate six random numbers for them. Then, they have to wait for the draw, where the lotto results will be announced. Once the results are announced, they must check the numbers they have picked to ensure that these are actually the winning ones. If their numbers are the winning combination, then they can claim their prize after writing their name and signing the back of their ticket. Winners only have one year to claim their prize before it gets forfeited.

Lottery Games Popular Among Filipinos

There are different types of Lottery Games available in the Philippines. All are different from one another in terms of the jackpot prize and mechanics of the game. However, there are 5 lottery games that stand out among Filipinos. Listed below are those 4 lottery games popular among Filipinos.

• EZ2 Lotto - The lottery started in 2004. It is a native Filipino lottery that takes three draws per day. Unlike 4D or 6D lotteries, EZ2 increases the odds because the range of selectable numbers is smaller. The draw is held daily at 11am, 4pm, and 9pm. Players are allowed to choose 2 sets of numbers from 1-31 numbers to complete a bet. Players win as long as there are 2 sets of numbers corresponding to matches. There are only two prizes in this type of lottery, PHP 4000 and PHP 2000.
• 6/42 Lotto - 6/42 Lotto is the oldest lottery game. It is known to deliver the most number of jackpot winners in 2017. Betters need to select 6 numbers from a pool of 42 numbers. For a single-entry ticket, you need to pay PHP 20. There’s an option to play all six panels on a single ticket.
• 6/49 Lotto Lottery - The draw is every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Players are given 49 numbers to choose from. Like other national lotto lotteries, there are always 720 sortings of 6 numbers. There is a chance to win the PHP 13 million jackpot prize.
• 6/45 Mega Lottery - The draw is every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The 6/45 lottery is considered to be an upgraded version of 6/42. The rules of play are the same as 6/42. 3 numbers are added, and the jackpot wins PHP 800,000.
• 6/58 Ultra Lottery - The draw is every Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday. Players are allowed to choose 6 numbers from 1-58. The jackpot is 6 out of 6 numbers, and the winning amount is at least PHP 50 million. Players have a 1 in 40 million chance of winning the jackpot.

Legal Age of Buying a Lottery Ticket in the Philippines

Bettors must be 18 years old and above to buy a lottery ticket in the Philippines. Even if the lottery tickets are bought online, the online selling platform will still require the buyer to be at least 18 years old.

Are Filipinos Addicted to Lottery Games?

Yes, Filipinos are addicted to Lottery Games. Filipinos are known to play all sorts of numbers games besides the lottery. People with money problems are usually the ones getting addicted to the lottery. It is because they wanted to fix their money problems as quickly as they could. For them, the chance of winning a lump sum of money is the cheapest through the lottery. Although there is no guarantee that they will win, they believe that luck will someday be on their side. Therefore, with this constant hope, betting through the lottery has become their habit. As a result, betting on the lotto is embedded in Filipino culture, and it is something that is said to stay for quite some time.