PCSO announces E-Lotto test run

The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) announced on December 15, 2023 the test run of its Web-based Application Betting Platform known as E-Lotto¹. The agency began the test run that Friday, according to PCSO General Manager Melquiades Robles, who spoke at a press briefing². The platform lets Filipinos anywhere in the world take part in the same daily lotto draws held in the Philippines without lining up at physical outlets².

During the trial, which lasts one year, players can place bets online and receive payments for their winnings electronically². Registration is at elotto.pcso.gov.ph and requires a mobile number, a one-time password, and a personal identification number². An online know-your-customer process requires a scanned government ID to confirm the registrant is over 18 years old, plus a selfie for verification². Registered players can link a GCash account to the E-Lotto wallet; the article says this will later expand to other e-wallets and bank accounts, while credit card payments are prohibited². The platform was accessible only through internet browsers at launch, with iOS and Android apps expected in a few weeks².

Pacific Online Systems Corp. (POSC), described as a company with 27 years in the lottery industry, signed a deal on August 30 for the one-year test run and acts as exclusive agent during that period². Robles said the agency expects E-Lotto to double daily bettors from about 2 million to about 4 million, and officials said the system was expected to lift numbers-game revenues to P70 billion in 2024². PCSO also raised the jackpot for Grand Lotto 6/55 and Ultra Lotto 6/58 to P500 million each, a total of P1 billion². The digital games complement a traditional lotto network of 4,600 kiosks nationwide².

The E-Lotto test run was announced the same day as the "Handog Pakabog" Christmas lotto promotion, which set minimum jackpots of P500 million for Super Lotto 6/49 and P100 million each for Regular Lotto 6/42 and Mega Lotto 6/45³. PCSO posted record single-day lotto sales of P171 million on December 19, four days after the promotion began³. PCSO reported total gaming revenue of P61.4 billion for 2023 across Lotto, Digit Games, Small Town Lottery and the National Instant Sweepstakes Program, up 7 percent on 2022¹. The agency set a conservative 2024 revenue target of P70 billion, which it said would yield P21 billion for its charity fund³.

What it means for players

Filipinos and overseas Filipino workers can buy official PCSO lotto entries online rather than only at physical outlets, and winnings during the trial are paid electronically². Registration requires a mobile number, a government ID and a selfie, and is limited to people over 18². Payment at launch runs through GCash only, with credit cards prohibited². Robles said players should not bet with borrowed funds². PCSO says the platform is meant to curb illicit online number games and route revenue to government coffers². The traditional 4,600-kiosk network continues alongside the online option².

What happens next

The test run is scheduled to last one year from December 15, 2023². iOS and Android apps were expected within a few weeks of launch². PCSO said negotiations were underway to add banks and other e-wallets as payment options³. The agency targets P70 billion in lotto revenue for 2024³.