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People place their bets at a Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) authorized lotto outlet in Sta Mesa Manila, July 31, 2019. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File 

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Lotto outlet

Victoria Tulad

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/171074915850420190731-lotto-outlet-0799.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(51, 51, 51);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">People place their bets at a Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) authorized lotto outlet in Sta Mesa Manila, July 31, 2019. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File  </div><div></div>Sen. Raffy Tulfo on Monday questioned the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) on why certain individuals claimed multiple lotto prizes last year. During a hearing of the Senate Committee on Games and Amusement, Tulfo said a lotto teller in Metro Manila, claimed P1.026 million from July to December 2023.Another person claimed prizes amounting to P225,000 eight times in July. That individual, labeled as &quot;Person B&quot; also claimed P225,000 nine times in August, twice in September, four times in October, nine times in November, and four times in December. In total, <span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">Person B got P8.325 million in six months.“Ano po ang probability na one person will hit many, many times in the period of six months with the same amount?” Tulfo asked.(What is the probability that one person will hit the jackpot many, many times in the period of six months with the same amount?)The PCSO said these people are claimants, but not necessarily winners. Typically, winners ask the help of agents to claim their prizes, the agency noted.  If the prize is P10,000 below, it will be claimed from a lotto outlet. If it is P10,000 to P300,000, it must be claimed from the PCSO branch. Bigger prizes must be claimed from the PCSO office in Manila.“‘Yan sinasabi ko lotto agent, pinapakiusapan ng bettors… Kung nasa malalayo kang lugar, ang logical po and practical way is to talk to your most likely suki mo, pakisabay na ito,” PCSO General Manager Melquiades Robles said.(What I’m saying is bettors request lotto agents…If you live in a faraway place, the logical and practical way is to talk to your patron and ask him to claim it for you.)“It’s being done every day po ‘yan lalo sa low tiered [games], 2D, 3D,” he added.(This is being done every day especially in low tiered games, 2D, 3D.)Low tiered games refer to minor games.Robles said it was not possible for someone to win several times.“Could there be multiple winners of jackpot? Sinabi namin hindi. Not in our experience. Wala pa po kaming nakikita na isang winner nanalo ng 20 jackpots. Wala po sa record namin,” Robles stated.(Could there be multiple winners of jackpot? We said no. Not in our experience. We haven’t seen a winner who has won 20 jackpots. We don’t have that in our records.)During the hearing, Person B was identified as a lotto agent from Butuan City, Agusan Del Norte, which Tulfo found curious.“Bakit Butuan lamang ang merong multiple winners or nagbe-bet ng P500 at nananalo ng P225,000 each time? Bakit wala sa ibang lugar?” Tulfo asked. “Baka nabigyan siya ng tip? Sa jueteng, kapag nabibigyan ng tip tataya ng winning number.”(Why is Butuan the only place where multiple winners bet P500 and win P225,000 each time? Why is there no other place where this happens? Maybe that person was given a tip? In jueteng, when you are given a tip, you bet on the winning number.”)Misael Hamak, PCSO manager of the Agusan del Norte branch, said low tiered games are simply a hit in Mindanao.“Kasi po yung P500, ‘yun ang pinaka-convenient na taya na makaka-claim ka below P300,000. P225,000 po ang panalo ng P500. Puwede namang P550 or P600 pero di siya convenient sa currency natin. Medyo butal po. So P500 is the most convenient na panalo ka na di ka na pupunta ng Manila,” Hamak said.(This is because P500 is the most convenient amount of bet to claim below P300,000. You win P225,000 with P500. You can bet P550 or P600 but it’s not convenient in our currency. So P500 is the most convenient that you will win without having to go to Manila.)He also mentioned why residents opt to tap the lotto agent for help.“The main means of transportation po sa Butuan City is tricycle po, may mga maliliit lang na jeepney. Saka yung lotto outlet niya po is located po around 15 kilometers po, malayo. Hindi po ganun ka-accessible,” he said.(The main means of transportation in Butuan City are tricycles, there are small jeepneys. The lotto outlet is around 15 kilometers away, which is far. It’s not that accessible.)Tulfo moved to invite to the next hearing the <span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">individuals who claimed multiple lotto prizes, identified only as <span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">Persons A, B, C, D, and E.   <div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/19/24/whats-the-big-deal-pcso-gm-defends-poorly-edited-photo-of-lotto-winner">What&#x27;s the big deal? PCSO GM defends poorly edited photo of lotto winner</a></div><div> </div><div>WINNERS WITH NO TIN</div><div> </div>Tulfo and Sen. Koko Pimentel also questioned why several winners did lacked <span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(77, 81, 86);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN<span style="color:rgb(77, 81, 86);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">).  In July 2023, Tulfo said some 2,000 people won lotto games, but only 271 hadTINs.Atty. John Neil Tibayan of the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s Legal and Legislative Division, confirmed this.“Based sa records po marami talagang 000 ang nangyayari po, meaning blank po ang tin na sina-submit sa &#x27;min,” Tibayan said. “May instances iche-check po namin kung meron talagang tin kasi minsan po napapansin namin walang sinasubmit si PCSO, noong dinouble check namin meron pala.”(Based on records, there are a lot of 000s, meaning the TIN submitted to us was blank. There are instances when we check if there really is a <span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">TIN  because we notice that PCSO doesn’t submit any. But when we double checked, we found that they do have <span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">TINs.)“Meron po kasi talagang mga winners na hindi naman talaga sila ‘yung may walang fixed income or may business, that’s why wala pa silang tinatawag na tin,” said Atty. Lauro Patiag, PCSO Assistant General Manager for Management Services Sector.(There are winners who don’t have a fixed income or business, which is why they do not have a TIN.)Even if a winner has no TIN, Robles said the 20 percent tax on the prize is deducted and remitted just the same.“The tax is remitted to BIR and goes to the collection of BIR,” Tibayan remarked.According to Tibayan, Persons A, B, C, D, and E have TINs. He added that getting a TIN is easy and could be done within a day.“Lahat po ng mga nanalo, dapat pag nag-submit kayo ng tax na binawas niyo sa winning, may <span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">TIN number na. Dapat from now on, huwag kayong mag-submit ng 00 tin sa BIR kasi diyan magkakaroon ng pagdududa ang lahat eh,” Tulfo said.(You should submit a <span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">TIN for all winners when you submit a tax deduction. From now on, do not submit 00 to BIR because that is when people doubt you.)Robles said they would comply with the suggestion.  <div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/01/29/24/pcso-pagcor-want-tax-cuts-on-casino-lotto-winnings">PCSO, PAGCOR want tax cuts on casino, lotto winnings</a></div><div> </div><div>“INVESTING” IN LOTTO</div><div> </div>Tulfo also raised the practice of “investing” in bets to win big. He said a certain bettor who owns three lotto outlets in Manila put P30 million in each outlet and won P600 million last January.“Ang nakikita ko lang problema, bago siya mag-invest ng 90 million saka tinaasan ‘yung jackpot dinagdagan ng P500 million to make it P600 million. Para ma-accommodate ‘yung kanyang kapital at may tubo pa,” Tulfo said.(The problem I see is before that person invested 90 million, that was when the jackpot was increased by P500 million to make it P600 million, to accommodate his capital and yield profit.)<div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/12/15/23/e-lotto-test-run-begins-minimum-jackpot-now-p500-m">E-lotto test run begins; minimum jackpot now P500 million for Grand and Ultra Lottos</a></div>Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) Officer-in-Charge Atty. Arnold Kabanlit said this was “out of the ordinary”.“We will still check if there is a link to an unlawful activity. ‘Yung nabanggit niyo po kanina, sir, na it’s possible nag-rediscount po ‘yung winner, that is also a traditional money laundering typology but we would still have to check,” Kabanlit said.<div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/12/20/23/pcso-to-offer-p1-billion-jackpot-in-new-lottery">PCSO to offer P1 billion jackpot in new lottery</a></div>

During a Senate hearing, the PCSO answered questions on why certain individuals claimed multiple lotto prizes in 2023.

During a Senate hearing, the PCSO answered questions on why certain individuals claimed multiple lotto prizes in 2023.

Senate questions PCSO on multiple lotto claims, winners without TIN

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Senate questions PCSO on multiple lotto claims, winners without TIN

Victoria Tulad,

ABS-CBN News

Published March 18, 2024 04:27 PM PHT

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Updated March 18, 2024 04:37 PM PHT

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