How to Win Lotto in the Philippines

Last Updated – Oct 9, 2023 @ 4:27 am

Filipinos nowadays face a lot of financial challenges. Some are lucky to have businesses that boom or are lucky to have landed their dream and high-paying job. 

But for some, it is also part of their hustle to try out their luck on gambling, and the most popular and safest way to do this is to join the lotto draws.

In this article, we present you with tips on how to increase your chances of winning and some information to help you understand how to claim your win.

What is Lotto?

The PCSO Lotto is a lottery game aired on the People’s Television Network (PTV). This is where all the results are shown. It has been airing since 1995.

Who introduced the lottery in the Philippines?

Historically, lotteries have been in existence in the Philippines as early as 1833. Under the auspices of private enterprises called Empresa de Reales Loteria Espanolas de Filipinas, the Spanish Government conducted loterias to generate revenues.

In fact, even Dr. Jose Rizal won Php 6,200.00 in the draw of 1892, while in exile in Dapitan. He donated his winnings to an educational project. This altruistic act gives an inkling of what could be done if the lottery was harnessed for charitable and social welfare projects.

Types of Lotto Games in the Philippines

Lotto 6/42

The flagship game of the PCSO Lottery line-up. You will be asked to pick six numbers in your lottery ticket (any number from 1 to 42), which is then stamped and validated to be included in the draw.

Mega Lotto 6/45

For this next one, this game also has the same rules as the flagship 6/42. The most significant difference is that it has a total of 45 numbers instead of just 42.

You will have to guess six numbers from the draw, in any order, correctly.

Super Lotto 6/49

You select six numbers from a pool of 49. The rules for winning are unchanged; if you guess all 6 correctly, you win the jackpot. If you guess fewer numbers correctly, you receive one of the consolation prizes.

Grand Lotto 6/55

You select six numbers from a pool of 55. You win the jackpot outright if you correctly guess all six numbers that come up during the draw.

Ultra Lotto 6/58

The goal here is also to match all six numbers from the draw, in any order just like the other PCSO games.

6D Lotto

Select six numbers from 0 to 9 and mark them on your play slip. You can play the same combination for multiple draws by inputting how many draws you want to play in the column marked “AMT”.

4D Lotto

Similar to the 6D Lotto game above, 4D Lotto is played with 10 balls, numbered from 0 to 9. Instead of choosing six numbers, you only have to select four.

Swertres

Also known as 3D Lotto, Swertres is played by selecting three numbers from 0 to 9.

EZ2 Lotto

EZ2 Lotto (or 2D Lotto) is a fixed-payout game where you have to guess two numbers in the order that they are drawn. There are 31 balls that can be drawn. Because there are two chambers in the Mega Gem used for this game, one number can be drawn twice in this game.

STL Pares

Select two numbers from 1 to 40. This game uses a Mega Gem with just one chamber. As a result, you cannot draw the same number more than once. 

STL Swer3

Select three numbers from 0 to 9. You win if you guess all three numbers drawn, in the exact order they were drawn.

STL Swer2

Similar to Swer3, this game is also played using balls with numbers from 0 to 9. The key difference with this game is that you have to guess just two numbers, instead of three in Swer3, in the exact order, they were drawn.

10 Tips to Increase your Chances of Winning the Lotto in the Philippines

1. Choose Random Numbers (“Lucky Pick”) or use a random number generator

All experts agree that random selection has the highest chance of giving a win. One of them is Dr. John Haigh, emeritus professor of mathematics from the University of Sussex.

Haigh, who wrote a paper exploring the statistics behind the lottery, contends that numbers picked randomly are least likely to have been picked by other participants.

As a result, you will share the prize with fewer people or no one in case you hit the jackpot.

2. Pick Your numbers or “Standard Pick”

You can try using the same numbers over and over again (loved one’s birthdate etc..) over a long period of time may also give you a chance to eventually win the lottery.

3. Buy more tickets or Organize a lottery pool

By simply buying you increase your chances of winning.

You can also organize a lottery pool by trying to convince as many people as possible to invest in a lottery and use the money you’ve raised to bet on different number combinations.

4. Bet on Frequently Drawn Numbers

In the case of lotto, numbers or number combinations in the past are more likely to be picked again.

To discover a pattern, you need a keen eye for details and a comprehensive list of past PCSO lotto results, which you can easily find online.

5. Every number in the lottery has an equal probability of being chosen as the winning number

There is no software that could predict the exact winning number. But you can increase your chance of not splitting the jackpot price if you use uncommon numbers.

6. Don’t choose consecutive numbers

For example, if you play a lottery with five winning numbers and you have to choose until number 55. The total numbers must be between 104 and 176.

Studies have shown that 70% of lottery jackpots have sums that fall in this range. 

7. Look for more unpopular games played at odd times

Go to the less popular lotto games, ones with lesser game players, so your odds of winning are higher.

8. Play less often if you’re planning to chase a big jackpot

Instead of getting a ticket for every single draw, save up to play for the big one. If you’re used to playing a game weekly, you could set aside your money until the payout gets bigger.

That way, you get to have fun without spending more than you normally would.

9. Purchase scratch cards for a quicker and simpler way to play

Many regional lotteries offer scratch-off games (ie: PSCO’s ScratchIt!). These cards are instant and have better odds of awarding money than big lottery draws.

While the payouts tend to be on the lower side, you could still win a big if you’re lucky.

10. Check your tickets for alternative ways to win

Lotto games usually have consolation prizes. Even if you don’t get all the required numbers to win the jackpot. hitting a few numbers may still garner you some amount of cash.

Playing PCSO Lotto FAQs

What is the best strategy to win the lotto?

Increasing the number of lottery tickets and choosing a random number by using number generators may help increase your chances of winning.

What is the most lucky number in lotto?

Based on the PCSO site number 58 seems to be the luckiest number drawn.

What numbers are most likely to win the lottery in the Philippines?

The chances of 9, 18, 27, 36, 45, and 54 being drawn are exactly the same as, say, 1, 18, 19, 28, 30, and 46. There is no sure win number picks in the lotto as far as probability is concerned.

What Are Your Odds Of Winning the Lottery?

To give one example, n a lottery in which you pick 6 numbers from a possible pool of 49 numbers, your chances of winning the jackpot (correctly choosing all 6 numbers drawn) are 1 in 13,983,816.

That’s 1 shot in almost 14 million. If you were to buy one lottery ticket each week, based on the aforementioned statement, you could expect to win once every 269,000 years.

Is the Philippine lotto tax-free?

You need to know that you can’t claim the entire jackpot prize because all forms of gambling are taxable by Philippine law.

Based on the new Tax Reform Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law, lottery winning P10,000.00 or more are subject to 20% tax.

How much does the lotto cost in the Philippines? – 

• Ultra Lotto – Php 20.00 per ticket
• Grand Lotto – Php 20.00 per ticket
• Super Lotto – Php 20.00 per ticket
• Mega Lotto – Php 20.00 per ticket
• Lotto – Php 20.00 per ticket
• 6D Lotto – Php 10.00 per ticket
• 4D Lotto – Php 10.00 per ticket
• 3D Lotto – Php 10.00 per ticket
• 2D Lotto – Php 10.00 per ticket

How long can you claim lotto prizes Philippines?

Lotto jackpot winners in the Philippines have up to one year to claim their prize before it gets forfeited. So you can take your time to let the hype die down first before you claim your win to make it safer for you.