PCSO website goes offline hours before big lotto draw

Hours before what could be one of the biggest lotto draws in the country's history, the website of the game's operator, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, went offline early Wednesday evening. Visitors to the PCSO website as of 7 p.m. were greeted with an error message that the website's server could not be found. As in past weeks, Filipinos lined up at betting stations Wednesday for a shot at winning the jackpot of the 6/55 Grand Lotto, which may amount to some P490 million. No one has so far won the jackpot in past weeks. The jackpot had grown from P300 million to P490 million as of Wednesday. The obsession of many Filipinos with winning the grand lotto draw prompted expressions of concern from Catholic Church officials who asked government to promote hard work instead of dependence on luck.—JV, GMANews.TV