PH Lotto Odds

Guide

How PCSO lotto odds work

Every PCSO game comes down to one question: how many different results are possible? Your tsansa (chance) of winning with one ticket is one divided by that number. This guide shows how to count it for every game, in plain math.

Lotto 6/42 to Ultra Lotto 6/58: order does not matter

In the big lotto games you choose 6 numbers, and the machine draws 6 balls. The order of the balls does not count. Mathematicians call this a combination, written C(58, 6) for Ultra Lotto:

C(58, 6) = (58 × 57 × 56 × 55 × 54 × 53) ÷ (6 × 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1) = 40,475,358

So one ticket of Ultra Lotto 6/58 has a 1 in 40,475,358 chance of hitting the jackpot. The same formula gives:

To picture 1 in 40 million: if you bought one ticket for every Ultra Lotto draw (three a week), you would wait on average about 260,000 years for a jackpot.

Swertres, EZ2, 4D and 6D: order matters

In the digit games your taya (bet) must match the draw in the exact order. Each position is independent, so you multiply:

A “rambolito” bet wins if the digits come out in any order. It covers more results but pays a smaller prize, so it does not change the overall picture.

What a ticket is worth on average

The expected value is the average amount a ticket gives back, counting every prize weighted by its chance. For Swertres it is simple: a ₱10 straight bet that wins ₱4,500 with a chance of 1 in 1,000 gives back on average ₱4.50, so 45% of its price. EZ2 pays ₱4,000 with a chance of 1 in 961, about ₱4.16 per ₱10.

For the big lotto games the answer depends on the jackpot, which grows when nobody wins. The calculator on the home page does the math with the current jackpot. In almost every draw, players get back well under half of what they spend.

Taxes and shared jackpots

Since the TRAIN law (Republic Act 10963), PCSO prizes above ₱10,000 are subject to a 20% tax. A ₱100 million jackpot is ₱80 million after tax. If several people win the same draw, the jackpot is shared between them, which lowers the real value of a big jackpot even more.

Are some numbers “hot” or “due”?

No. The balls have no memory. A number that came out often last month has exactly the same chance as any other in the next draw. This mistake is called the gambler's fallacy. On the home page you can test it on ten years of official results: numbers that were frequent in the first half of the draws are not more frequent in the second half.

For the same reason, 1-2-3-4-5-6 has exactly the same chance as any “lucky” combination. The only real difference: fewer people pick unusual combinations, so if you win, you are less likely to share the jackpot.

Play responsibly

The lottery is entertainment, not a way to earn money. Set a small budget you can afford to lose, and never play with money for rent, food, health or school. If gambling is causing problems for you or your family, talk to someone you trust or a health professional.

Latest results

See today's results for Ultra Lotto 6/58, Grand Lotto 6/55, Super Lotto 6/49, Mega Lotto 6/45, Lotto 6/42, 6D, 4D, Swertres 3D and EZ2 2D.