The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) has launched an online lottery system, enabling players to purchase tickets and claim prizes in the comfort of their homes. The e-Lotto app is available on iOS and Android devices. The PCSO hopes the new system will boost lottery sales and encourage more people to play. The online lottery service will be a trial run for more than a year.
The PCSO has partnered with payment processing company GTech Corporation to build the system. GTech has a global presence and handles 70% of the worldwide lottery industry, according to the company’s website. The company’s services include instant lotteries, mobile ticketing, and virtual sports. The new system also includes a loyalty program and player rewards program. In addition to the PCSO e-Lotto, GTech is developing an Internet gaming platform that will allow players to participate in lotteries through the PCSO website and other third-party websites.
In the Philippines, where gambling is legal, the new system allows citizens to purchase and play the national Lotto, including a mobile version of the game. Players can also choose from a number of other games such as sports betting, online bingo, and raffles. The system will also offer a variety of promotions and jackpots.
A single mother in Saigon, Huong, earns 230 000 VN-Dong ($11 US-Dollars) per day selling lottery tickets to passersby. It’s just enough to make ends meet, but it’s better than socially detested begging. On good days, she sells 250 tickets. The rest of the time she spends with her husband, Manh, and their growing baby.
Lottery officials in communist Laos are rigging the system, manipulating winning numbers to avoid large pay-outs, sources in the country say. The results of the national lottery, which are held three times a week, often show numbers that vanish from purchased tickets or that are deemed unlucky. For example, on Oct. 14 this year, the winning number 509 appeared only as 5 on purchased tickets throughout the day before the drawing—but was later changed to 662, a source in Vientiane told RFA’s Lao Service. The government is trying to tighten its control over the lottery and make it more transparent, but these measures haven’t yet been put in place.