The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) announced on Wednesday that a lucky bettor from San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan, has claimed the jackpot prize of P43,882,361.60 for the Lotto 6/42 draw held on December 28, 2023.
The lone bettor correctly guessed the winning combination, but controversy has arisen surrounding the authenticity of the photo shared by the PCSO. Netizens have raised concerns that the image appears to be edited, particularly the presence of the bettor herself.
The Global Filipino Magazine took the initiative to investigate the image’s authenticity by using AI technology. The results of their analysis indicated that the photo indeed appeared to have been edited. The woman in the image, who is wearing a blue blouse and skirt, seems to have been added into the scene. Several factors suggest that the image was manipulated, including discrepancies in lighting and shadows that do not align with the environment, as well as visible anomalies at the edges of her figure that typically occur when a selection tool is used to place a person into a scene.