PCSO Lotto Odds: 6/42, 6/45, 6/49, 6/55 and 6/58 Compared

By GTAYA Editorial Team · Reviewed for accuracy against the sources linked in this article. Last updated 2026-11-04.

The real odds of every PCSO lotto game, from 6/42 to 6/58, worked out with simple math so you know exactly what your ₱25 buys.

How PCSO lotto works in one minute

Every major PCSO lotto game works the same way. You pick six numbers (or ask the outlet for a Lucky Pick), pay ₱25 per combination at an authorised lotto outlet, and wait for the 9:00 PM draw. Match all six in any order and you share the jackpot. Match five, four or three and you win a lower prize. The only thing that changes from game to game is how many numbers are in the drum, and that single number decides your odds.

You can also play the same combination for up to six advance draws, which is handy if you have a “suki” combination built from birthdays and you don’t want to queue at the outlet every draw night.

PCSO lotto odds table (computed)

We computed these from first principles using combinations: the number of ways to choose 6 from N numbers, divided by the number of ways to match exactly k of the six winning numbers. The jackpot figures match the odds PCSO itself prints.

Reading the table: on Ultra Lotto 6/58 one ticket has a 1 in 40,475,358 chance of the jackpot. If you played one ticket in every single 6/58 draw (three a week, 156 a year), you would expect to wait about 259,000 years for a jackpot. On Lotto 6/42 the same habit still works out to roughly 33,600 years.

Draw days, minimum jackpots and the fixed 3-number prize

PCSO lists the minimum jackpots net of the agent’s prize commission. Prizes for five and four numbers are set amounts “to be shared equally per standard bet”, so if many people match five numbers on the same draw, they split that pool. For example, PCSO lists ₱1,500,000 for five numbers and ₱1,400,000 for four numbers on 6/58.

Which PCSO lotto has the best odds?

Lotto 6/42 has the best odds of every six-number game: about 7.7 times better jackpot odds than 6/58. The trade-off is a smaller starting jackpot (₱10 million vs ₱75 million). Because the jackpot on the bigger games rolls over more often, they produce the headline-making “₱500 million” draws you see on the news, but each ticket is far less likely to win.

Look at the “any prize” column too. On 6/42 roughly 1 ticket in 34 wins at least the ₱20 three-number prize. On 6/58 it is about 1 in 88, although the fixed prize is bigger (₱100). Most of the money players get back comes from these small prizes, and even they return less than the ticket costs: the three-number prize on 6/42 is worth about ₱0.54 per ₱25 ticket on average.

System play: what more numbers really cost

A System bet lets you pick more than six numbers; the outlet plays every six-number combination inside your set. It does not change the math, it just buys more combinations at ₱25 each:

A ₱23,100 System 12 ticket on 6/58 still has a jackpot chance of 924 in 40,475,358, or about 1 in 43,800. That is a month’s salary for many Filipino families, spent on a draw you will almost certainly lose.

Birthdays, “hot numbers” and other outlet myths

Every combination has exactly the same chance, including 1-2-3-4-5-6. “Hot” and “cold” numbers posted on outlet walls describe the past, and the drum has no memory. The one choice that can matter is sharing: birthday numbers only go up to 31, so if you win with an all-birthday combination you are more likely to split the jackpot with other players. A Lucky Pick avoids that bias.

Where to go next

• Draw days, the 2PM/5PM/9PM digit-game draws and official result channels: PCSO draw schedule and results.
• Won something? How to claim a PCSO prize and the 20% tax.
• The smaller daily games: 2D, 3D, 4D, 6D and STL explained.
• How lotto compares with roulette, baccarat and the perya Color Game: lotto odds vs casino games.

Written and reviewed by the GTAYA Editorial Team

Our guides are researched from official sources (PAGCOR, BSP, Philippine law) and reviewed before publishing. Rules that vary by table are flagged.

Read our editorial policy →