MANILA, Philippines — It would be more fun betting in the lottery games today, Monday, particularly in Grand Lotto 6/55, which offers an estimated P210 million, the biggest jackpot so far this year, after another no-winner draw last Saturday.

Figures from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) showed over four-million bettors spent a total of P90,905,980 worth of bets for 6/55 draw last February 4.

The nearly P91-million revenue is the largest so far in ticket sales for Grand Lotto in a single draw this year as more bettors are lured to try their luck as the jackpot continued to grow. But none of the 4,545,299 combinations with bets hit the jackpot of P197,403,868.80.

A total of 99 bettors nearly won, as they matched five numbers of the winning combination 48-04-07-16-01. Getting five correct numbers wins P150,000 as consolation prize.

With the 278th no-winner draw, PCSO General Manager Jose Ferdinand M. Rojas II said the jackpot was estimated to reach P210 million, more or less. Rojas said all jackpot and other prize winnings from the State charity agency are tax-free.

The 6/55 lotto gave the biggest pay-out in Philippine lotto history when the jackpot ballooned to P741.17 million, which was won on November 29, 2010 by a 60-year-old Filipino-American engineer working in New York City as a building administrator.

When he returned to the United States a week later after claiming his winnings on December 9 that year, the "balikbayan" had to pay around P223 million in tax out of his P741.17 million winnings to the American government. In the US lottery winnings are considered income and are, thus, taxed for about 30 percent, or even more.

One of the expected bettors for 6/55 Monday draw is 78-year-old Raffy Medalla of Bicutan, Taguig City, who still delivers newspapers for residents of Maharlika Village in the same city. "Bahay ang una kong bibilhin at titigil na sa pag-deliver ng dyaryo kung manalo ako. Matanda na ako (First, I will buy a house and lot and stop delivering newspapers if I win. I am already old)," said Medalla, with copies of the Manila Bulletin and Tempo and other dailies in his hands.

The newsboy said he bets on the lotto, but not every day, only when he has something left from his earnings from the newspaper deliveries. "Sometimes, I cannot bet because there is nothing left," Medalla said.

Rodolfo Floralde, 53, a native of Bicol Region, and now a resident of Sta. Mesa, Manila, and Robert Duya, 34, a Cavite City resident from Pampanga, said his priority if he gets lucky is a house and lot, and his chil-dren's education.

Floralde said he has been betting on the lotto for some years now, on and off, as he also needs a big amount for his first born son Junior, 12, who is afflicted with polio. "Sana naman magkapera sa lotto para mapasaya ko dalawang anak ko (I hope I will win the lotto and make my two children happy)," the Bicolano said. He said he also wants to buy a piece of land and settle in his native province.

Duya has four kids. He said he was formerly plying a jeepney, but quit because, being exposed to the elements, jeepney drivers are easily prone to diseases such as ulcer, cough, asthma, and others. "I switched to taxi only a week ago. Driving a taxi where you are safe from the elements is better than a jeepney," Duya said in Filipino.

He said he will be betting on birth dates and other family-related numbers for the Wednesday draw. "I just had my birthday last January 19 and I wish I hit the jackpot (as a gift)," said Duya.