Grand Lotto winner let another bettor cut in line to win the P740-M pot

The New York-based balikbayan could have missed the mind-boggling jackpot if he did not let another bettor cut in line at the lotto ticket outlet. The winner of the P740-million Grand Lotto jackpot “generously" let another person place her bet first and waited for his turn before he could place his winning combination for the lottery prize, a Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) official said Thursday. The PCSO earlier said that the Grand Lotto winner, who placed his bet at an outlet in Olongapo City in Zambales, used the “Lucky Pick" method, which generates randomly selected numbers, to come up with the winning combination. (See: Jackpot! Olongapo bettor wins P741.176-M lotto prize) “May sumingit na babae bago siya tumaya pero hindi siya nagalit at pinabayaan niya. Mukhang mabait talaga siyang tao," PCSO chair Margie Juico told GMANews.TV in a phone interview on Thursday night. (A woman cut in line before he could place his bet, but he kept his cool and allowed her to place her bet first.) The woman also used the “Lucky Pick" method, which meant that if she hadn’t cut in line, she would have received the winning combination. “Imagine, kung hindi sumingit ‘yung babae at hinintay, siya dapat ang nanalo," Juico added. Juico said the Grand Lotto winner, a 60-year-old married man with three children, was a balikbayan from New York in the United States, who returned to the Philippines for a “sentimental journey" in his home country. “He has been staying in the US for a long time. He went back to the Philippines to visit places. Nagkatuwaan lang silang magkakapatid na tumaya sa Subic at doon siya sinwerte [He and his siblings agreed to place a bet at Subic, just for fun, and he got lucky]," she said. The PCSO chairperson, who personally handed the prize to the winner on Thursday afternoon, described the balikbayan as a “kind-looking" man. (See: Lucky bettor claims P741-M Grand Lotto prize) “Nakakatuwa kasi simple lang talaga siya at mukhang mabait. Sinabi niya sa akin na madasalin din siya. Dininig ang panalangin niya," she said. (It’s so heart-warming, because he’s really just an ordinary guy, and kind-looking. He told me that he prayed often. His prayers were answered.)—JV, GMANews.TV