Imee Marcos wants lotto games suspended amid 'mathematically improbable' results

Senator Imee Marcos on Friday called for the temporary suspension of the traditional and online lotto games conducted by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) amid what she called "mathematically improbable" results.

"Hangga't hindi napapaliwanag itong mga pangyayaring ito, itigil muna ang bola. Itigil muna ang e-lotto at 'yung mga ginagawa nila. Wala nang naniniwala e at naaawa ako sa mga pumupusta na mahihirap... ninanakaw pa, binobola pa talaga," Marcos said in a virtual interview with Senate reporters.

(Until they have satisfactorily explained this, they should stop the lotto and e-lotto games. No one believes them and I pity the poor bettors.)

"Alam mo pikon na pikon ako d'yan sa lotto na 'yan...mathematically improbable ang ginagawa nila na ganon kadalas, tapos lahat number 9. Kung ano-anong kababalaghan na kung nakakaintindi ka ng numero...hindi talaga pwedeng mangyari 'yon," she added.

(I am really incensed with what they are doing in lotto games, the frequent wins are mathematically improbable, also the result which was in the multiple of 9. If you really understand numbers, that is not possible.)

The lawmaker's remark came a day after the Senate games and amusement committee conducted an investigation into the integrity of the sweepstakes where it was found that over P2.4 billion worth of jackpot prizes in 11 lotto games have been won since December 2023.

Amid doubts that the game can be manipulated, PCSO General Manager Mel Robles made an assurance that they cannot control the results of the game.

“We would like to assure you that you can never, never manipulate it. Kaya nga allowed kami mag-bet (That's why we are allowed to bet), Mr. Chair. Even I can bet because it’s beyond me. Even if we wanted to, with the system we have, we cannot,” Robles said.

“I take exception na kayang panalunin. Definitely, madami pong tataya kung malaki ang jackpot. ‘Yun po naman ang objective namin– to really bring in bettors,” the PCSO official added.

(I take exception that we can choose the winners. Definitely, many will play lotto if the jackpot prize is big. That is our objective - to really bring in bettors.)

Marcos said she was not convinced with the explanations made by the PCSO.

"Naniniwala ba kayo? Parang kababalaghan naman 'yung sinasabi. Ginagawang technical ang hindi technical. Kitang kita naman sa numero, kitang kita naman sa pangalan. Hindi tayo bobo. Alam naman natin 'yan. Tigilan na nila," she went on.

(Do you really believe that? What they are saying is unbelievable. They are making non-technical matters technical. You can see it in the numbers, you can see it in the names. We are not stupid here. We know it  so they should stop it.)

GMA News Online reached out to the PCSO for comment on Marcos' statement but has yet to receive a reply as of posting time.

Last week, Marcos questioned the increasing number of lotto winners, saying it could set a Guinness world record.

"Kailangan malaman ng Guinness ito, sobrang galing eh. Tayo na yata ang may pinakamaraming nanalo sa loob ng isang taon (The Guinness should be made aware of this. We have the most number of winners in a year)," she previously said.

The PCSO earlier said it was willing to submit the names of lotto winners in an executive session if subpoenaed.—AOL, GMA Integrated News