Lottery
PCSO Lotto Odds Explained
Consulting combinations formulas, any line in a PCSO game like Lotto 6/42 or Ultra 6/58 has the same 1-in-(n choose 6) chance of winning, which means raising ticket prices in 2026 does not change your odds. Buying a ticket is not a supply-demand game: you pick 6 numbers out of a pool, and the PCSO draws 6; matching at least 3 of the 6 wins a prize in all cases. That prize might be higher or taxed by law, but that comes on the back of fixed odds.
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PCSO Tickets Went Up, But the Game Played the Same
Since 1 February 2026 the price of a PCSO lotto ticket is PHP 25 per play, up from PHP 20, but this change only affects the cost of entry. Minimum jackpots rose at the same time: PHP 10 million for Lotto 6/42, PHP 15 million for Mega Lotto 6/45, PHP 25 million for Super Lotto 6/49, PHP 45 million for Grand Lotto 6/55 and PHP 75 million for Ultra Lotto 6/58. Each game retains its own schedule, and the day of the draw does not correlate to better odds: Lotto 6/42 is drawn on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday; Mega Lotto 6/45 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; Super Lotto 6/49 on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Grand Lotto 6/55 comes up Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday; and Ultra Lotto 6/58 on Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday. The major lotto draws are held at 9 PM.
Odds by Game in PCSO Lotto (as of 2026)
Combinatorial logic sets the odds, which are based on how many 6-number lines can be drawn from n. Lotto 6/42 has 5,245,786 possible lines, so one line has a 1 in 5,245,786 chance of matching all 6. Since there are 8,145,060 possibilities for Mega 6/45, a player has 1 in 8,145,060 chance of matching the 6. By contrast, for Super 6/49, with 13,983,816 possible combinations, the odds drop to 1 in 13,983,816. At 6/55 and 6/58 the pool grows further and the odds get longer still. Grand has 28,989,675 possible 6-number lines, which cuts the single-line chance to 1 in 28,989,675, and Ultra's 40,475,358 cuts the odds to 1 in 40,475,358.
What a PCSO Lotto Ticket Actually Buys
When you buy a PCSO ticket in any of the 6-number games, you are selecting 6 numbers to play, and each number from 1 to n is equally likely to be drawn. The game also draws 6 numbers, and your ticket win depends on how many of your numbers match the winning 6. In every game you must match at least 3 of the 6 winning numbers to win a prize, and the jackpot goes to a line that matches all 6.
The Reason Why Rollovers Don't Improve Odds
When there is no winner, the jackpot rolls over to the next draw. Jackpot growth to tens of millions of pesos might seem to change the dynamics, but it does not change how many numbers are in the pool.
Prizes, Tax, and Forfeitures in PCSO Games
The PCSO jackpot games follow some important rules under the law. Under the TRAIN law, PCSO lotto winnings over PHP 10,000 are subject to a 20% final tax, while winnings of PHP 10,000 or less are tax-exempt. There are also strict rules about how long a player has to claim a prize: under the PCSO charter as amended by Batas Pambansa Blg. 42 (1979), prizes not claimed within one year from the date of the draw are forfeited and become part of the charity fund. Both rules are part of the deal in each ticket bought.
A Ticket in a Pool of All Possible Combinations
When a jackpot climbs far above its minimum and the press relishes the story, sometimes implying that everyone's chances have improved, the rules stay the same. Those big figures are still awarded in the space of all 28,989,675 or 40,475,358 possible 6-number lines, and one line is still 1 of them.
