The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) clarified that pausing the livestream of lotto draws to address machine malfunctions aligns with their standard procedures. This statement came during a Senate committee probe into the integrity of lotto games, following a glitch in the 3D Swertres Lotto draw on February 27.
PCSO Assistant General Manager Arnel Casas, responding to Senator Raffy Tulfo’s queries, emphasized that the temporary suspension of the broadcast is a routine part of addressing technical issues, ensuring transparency through a subsequent recap of the draw.
Senator Tulfo, however, argued for real-time troubleshooting transparency to maintain public trust in the games’ integrity. He suggested that future malfunctions should be rectified live, without interrupting the broadcast, to avoid public suspicion.
The PCSO acknowledged the feedback, noting that such incidents have been rare since 1995 and assuring that their procedures, compliant with ISO-approved protocols, are designed to handle such anomalies effectively. The incident in question involved a temporary draw halt and the use of an alternate machine, following established quality management systems.
This incident has sparked discussions on the need for transparency and reliability in PCSO’s operations, especially in maintaining public trust in the fairness of the games.