The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) is the main government agency in charge of providing funds for health services, medical assistance, and national charities. The PCSO is the only government agency that conducts charity sweepstakes, small town lotteries, and national lotteries. Since its inception in 1934, the PCSO has used its revenue sources to increase the quality of life for the Filipino community. The PCSO is involved in several social welfare and development programs including endowment fund healthcare program, individual medical assistance program, community outreach program, ambulance donation program, national calamity, and disaster program among several others.
Philippine gambling laws mandate contributions to the following government entities: Commission of Higher Education, Urban Development Financing Program, Department of Foreign Affairs, National Commission of Indigenous People, Philippine Centennial Commission and many others. Much like the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), the PCSO reports directly to the Office of the President and its revenue is mandated to support several different government agencies.
Lotteries And Sweepstakes In The Philippines
Lotteries have been in existence in the Philippines since 1833 when the Spanish government conducted lotteries to generate revenue. Near the turn of the 19th century and during the Philippine revolution the lottery was forced to stop operations. It wasn’t until the 1930’s when the idea was brought back up and in 1932, the first sweepstakes draw was directed by the government. The sweepstakes draw was conducted to raise funds for sports projects for the Filipino youth. Since it was a successful scheme the government decided to use more sweepstakes to provide for other local organizations. Philippine gambling laws mandate how the revenue obtained from the PCSO is disbursed among other government agencies.
PCSO Lottery Games
Today the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) has 9 different national lottery games that are legal across the Philippines. Their biggest payout game is the Ultra-Lotto 6/58 that has a minimum jackpot prize of 50 million PHP. The games range from small to large scale lotteries and include players matching winning numbers to receive payouts. The lottery results are broadcast on the television every night and players can claim their winnings at one of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Branch Offices. The 9 lottery games currently being offered by the PCSO are:
- Ultra-Lotto 6/58
- Grand-Lotto 6/55
- Super-Lotto 6/49
- Mega-Lotto 6/45
- Lotto 6/42
- 6-Digit Game
- 4-Digit Game
- Sueratres Game
- EZ 2 Lotto
Small Town Lotteries
Since 2005 the PCSO has helped in the campaign to rid the game of Jueteng and to offer a legal alternative to the Small-Town lottery (STL). In 2006, the STL was implemented under a 1-year provisional test-run mode. The provisional year was used to help shape the STL into a better experience for players and to give organizers time to make necessary changes. Small-Town Lotteries are only available in select locations across the Philippines and mainly on the big island of Luzon. The revenue obtained from the Small-Town Lotteries are divided up among local and government organizations under the following structure.
- Municipality 10%
- Provincial Government 5%
- Congressional District 2.5%
- PNP (National Police) 5%
- PCSO 7.5%
PCSO Sweepstakes
There are currently 3 types of sweepstake games offered nationally by the PCSO: The Mini Sweepstakes Game, the Partner Tayo Mini Sweepstakes Game, and the Traditional Sweepstakes Game. The Mini-Sweepstakes games are a variation of the Traditional Sweepstakes game offered at a lower ticket cost. Drawings are held once a month and payouts range from 5,000 PHP to 400,000 PHP. Sweepstakes agents are scouted to sell tickets and are rewarded for every booklet they sell. There is also a seller’s bonus to the agent that sells the winning ticket. The Partner Tayo Mini Sweepstakes Game is a special program issued by the PCSO to help local government units, government agencies, non-government organizations and other various organizations to raise funds for their health and welfare related projects. The Traditional Sweepstake tickets are now automated and since 1998 they have introduced the Double Panalo. The Double Panalo is a combination of sweepstakes and lotto games that gives the player 2 chances to win with the purchase of one ticket. The game enhancements are predicted to yield greater revenue for the PCSO.
Horse Racing PCSO Payouts
The PCSO is in charge of making payouts to winning horse race bettors. The Games and Amusement Board oversees the betting operations for the industry, but the revenue generated from the horse race bets ends up in the PCSO fund. Bettors can claim their winnings at the cashier’s terminal, but large payouts must be claimed at a PCSO branch. The revenue generated from the Philippine legal horse betting industry is one of the main contributors to maintaining and providing better community facilities throughout the Philippines.
Official PCSO Website - http://www.pcso.gov.ph/