The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) said Saturday that once its operations resume, a 15-day window will be allocated for a “special draw” for lotto tickets bought before the lockdown period.

PCSO General Manager Royina Garma said the 15-day period would cover six days worth of draws.

“Kung mananalo sila, ang importante lang po is naitago po nila ang mga tickets nila. So valid pa rin po lahat po iyon,” he said during the daily Laging Handa briefing.

PCSO shut down all its lotto outlets last March 18, when President Rodrigo Duterte placed Luzon under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

Garma added that PCSO had sought Duterte’s approval for the resumption of lotto operations, and was awaiting the issuance of health protocols to be implemented in all lotto kiosks.

Among the minimum health standards PCSO will implement are the wearing of face masks, one to two-meter physical distancing and setting up a protective barrier between agents and bettors.

“Iyon po iyong pinaka-minimum na standard na isi-set namin but there are still other details din po idagdag namin, sa tingin namin na kakailanganin para po magiging safe po iyong ating mananaya at ating mga agents,” Garma added.

Garma also said PCSO was preparing for a shift to digital betting, but this would take about two to three months.

Since the start of ECQ, PCSO has lost P30 billion due to the closure of its lotto operations, Garma said. John Ezekiel J. Hirro