PCSO forfeits 2 unclaimed lottery jackpots

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) announced yesterday the forfeiture of two unclaimed online lottery draw jackpots after the one-year period to claim the winnings expired.

PCSO general manager Jose Ferdinand Rojas II said lotto winners have up to one year to claim their prizes, after which the prizes are forfeited and added to the charity fund of PCSO.

He said in 2011, two major prizes for solo winners went unclaimed: the P23,762,775.60 jackpot for the 6/42 Regular Lotto draw on March 15, 2011 for the winning ticket sold by a lotto outlet in Binondo, Manila; and the P4.5 million jackpot of the 6/45 Mega Lotto draw on March 25 last year for the winning ticket that was purchased in Harrison Plaza, Manila.

Rojas, however, did not give other details of the winnings including the number combination of the forfeited prizes.

The PCSO also did not release the list of winning lotto jackpots that have not been claimed of yesterday.          

He said the unclaimed jackpot prizes would be reverted to the charity funds of the agency.

PCSO’s various number games such as the lotto, digit games, and Scratch-It finance the agency’s charity projects for its beneficiaries.

“These two people who did not claim their prizes last year could have been millionaires by now,” Rojas said.