PCSO: Lotto results cannot be rigged

THE Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) yesterday assured senators and the public that results of its lotto games cannot be rigged amid continued speculations that high-stake draws have been manipulated to benefit specific bettors.

PCSO general manager Melquiades “Mel” Robles also denied that its system could produce a winning lotto ticket using the details of a losing ticket.

During the hearing of the Senate Committee on Games and Amusement on Thursday, chairperson Sen. Raffy Tulfo confronted Robles with “information” supposedly from “information technology experts” that PCSO insiders who have “root access” to the main system of the agency’s computers can allegedly “produce” a ticket containing the winning lotto combination using the details, such as serial number and date of purchase, of a losing ticket.

Tulfo said: “So, ‘yung may root access, papalitan niya sa computer ‘yung tinayaan na combination sa outlet. Same serial number and everything, except papalitan niya ang combination (So, the one who has root access can change the combination of the ticket bought in an outlet with the winning combination, with the same [ticket] serial number and everything).”

May Cerelles, officer-in-charge of PCSO’s information technology services department, said only two officials have root access to the main computer system – Robles and Assistant General Manager for the Gaming Sector, Arnel Casas

Robles maintained losing tickets cannot be manipulated and altered to contain the winning combination.

“By 8:30 pm, cut-off na. All bets are separated in a flash drive, stand alone ‘yun, not online. So, for that alone, hindi na puwede ma-insert ‘yun (winning numbers) kasi may stand alone computer (The cut-off [for betting] is 8:30 p.m. All bets [in all outlets] are saved in a flash drive that is stand alone, not online. So, for that alone, additional bets cannot be inserted anymore because there is a stand alone computer),” he said.

He said once a ball is drawn, it is simultaneously keyed in the main computer system.

And once the last ball is drawn, Robles said the PCSO system can determine within minutes if a bettor or bettors won the winning combination.

“So, huwag po