JADE MARK C.

SALUBRE

BA 211
18 AUGUST 2016

PCSO Grand Lotto is a 6/55 game: out of 55 numbers, pick any six. The latest big winner (a
Cebuana) won P272 Million in July 2016.
Each individual lotto ticket costs P20.00.
1.

Calculate the number of possible entries in the Grand Lotto.

Possible number of entries = 55C6 =

2.

= 28,989,675

What is your chance of winning the jackpot if you buy 1 ticket?

Probability =

3.

55 !
( 556 ) ! 6 !

Number of Entries Bought

Number of Possible Entries

1
28,989,675

0.000003%

Assume that buying ticket is an event. Are events mutually - exclusive, independent, or
conditional? Explain your reasoning.
Buying ticket is an independent event. The probability of winning for 1 single ticket will
have no effect on the probability of winning on the other tickets because every single
ticket bought for 6/55 lotto will have a 0.000003% chance of winning. It cannot be a
mutually exclusive event because two tickets may have same group of 6 numbers but in
different orders. In this case, if all the 6 numbers were picked in the draw, both tickets
will be considered as winners, in which mutually exclusive event cannot be hold true. On
the other hand, conditional event is also not feasible because two tickets will not win the
jackpot prize if only 2, 3, 4 or 5 numbers are in common (12). Given the formula for
conditional probability, ticket 1 will win given the condition that ticket 2 will win P (12), P
(12) =

P(12)
P(2) , P (12) = 0, hence, P (12) = 0, when ticket 2 will win, there is no

chance that ticket 1 will also win given in a conditional event.

4.

You decided to play System 10. Under System 10, you can pick 10 numbers, and if you
get 6 matches, you win the jackpot. This game will cost P4, 200. What is your chance of
winning the jackpot?
Possible number of entries = 10C6 =

Probability =
5.

10 !
( 106 ) ! 6 !

Number of Entries Bought

Number of Possible Entries

= 210 entries

210
28,989,675

= 0.0007%

What gives you a better value? Playing a single System 10 game for P4, 200 or buying
210 tickets at P20 per ticket? Explain your answer.

Table 1. A comparative analysis between System 10 play and Single Ticket play.
Type of
Game
System 10
Single Ticket

Number of
Ticket(s)
1
210

Number of
Entry(ies)/Ticket
210
1

Price/Ticket
P4, 200
P20

Total
Price
P4, 200
P4, 200

Probability of
Winning
0.0007%
0.0007%

As presented in Table 1, a comparative analysis between System 10 play and

Single Ticket play was discussed. In can be noted that either type of game, the bettor
has the same chance of winning the jackpot with the same price. Hence, it can be
deduced that both play will have the same value.