The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) has issued a clarification regarding a minor setback during its 3-Digit game 2 p.m. draw on Tuesday, February 27.
The glitch emerged as one of the draw machines failed to capture a winning ball, momentarily disrupting the process.
PCSO General Manager Mel Robles confirmed the incident in a statement released on Thursday, February 29, stating that the technical team promptly addressed the issue.
Robles said that a contingency plan kicked in as they seamlessly switched to the standby machine, approved under the ISO 9001-2015 procedure.
The 3-Digit draw, with a top prize of ₱4,500 for each winning ticket, continued without significant disruption.
“This isn’t the first occurrence, and we want to reassure the public that we are equipped for such unexpected incidents with our established ISO-approved protocols,” Robles emphasized.
Highlighting the rarity of such glitches, Robles mentioned a similar incident in 2008 and drew a parallel to lottery machine malfunctions in the United States.
PCSO also claimed that over the past 25 years, this marks only the second time that a minor glitch has affected a PCSO draw.
“While the occurrence is remote, our commitment to transparent, fair, and authentic lottery games remains unwavering. We assure the public that our protocols ensure the integrity of the draws,” Robles said.
