ILLINOIS LOTTERY MOVES TO COMPUTERIZED DRAWINGS

Sep 25, 2015, 2:15 pm (71 comments)

Illinois Lottery

By Todd Northrop

If the Illinois Lottery issued stocks, now would be the time to sell. 

Despite widespread player sentiment that is strongly against computerized drawings, the Illinois Lottery stated Friday that it is dropping real lottery ball drawings, and moving to the despised computerized draws.

Computerized drawings are conducted by having a computer system that picks the winning numbers using a Random Number Generator, or "RNG".  Players generally dislike the fact that it is impossible for a human to witness the drawing taking place, since it just consists of software running inside a computer.

Worse, computerized drawings have been at the heart of several instances of drawing errors that have gone unchecked sometimes for months at a time.  They were also used to rig a Hot Lotto drawing.  (See MUSL security worker who rigged drawing gets 10 years, Lottery Post, Sept. 9, 2015.)

Illinois lottery players should buy their tickets now, because real drawings won't last much longer.  The dreaded new drawings will begin on Oct. 1.  Computerized drawings will be used across the board, for Pick 3, Pick 4, Lotto with Extra Shot, and Lucky Day Lotto.

Illinois Lottery officials call the move to computerized drawings "exciting".

"For over 25 years, WGN-TV has been the television home of the Illinois Lottery," said B.R. Lane, Acting Director of the Illinois Lottery, in a statement. "While we have been proud to partner with WGN over the years, the new digital draw system will allow us to open an exciting new chapter in Illinois Lottery history, on behalf of our players."

For their part, WGN officials were gracious about the Illinois Lottery move.

"The Illinois Lottery has been a great partner with us over the years," said Greg Easterly, President and General Manager, WGN-TV. "They have decided to take their live lottery drawings in a different direction and we understand their changing business needs. We value and appreciate the long term relationship we have enjoyed with the Illinois Lottery."

The new "digital draw system" will utilize a Random Number Generator, or RNG, to select winning numbers. RNG systems are currently used by the Illinois Lottery for "quick picks" at retail locations, as well as to select winning numbers for raffle games. 

Lottery Post has long railed against computerized drawings, and has warned about the possible dangers of computerized drawings since 2004. The rigging of the $16 million Hot Lotto drawing in 2011 occurred in the exact manner that Lottery Post described in its prescient warning.

More information regarding the digital draw system can be found at www.illinoislottery.com/dailydrawings.

Players who wish to voice their opinions to the Illinois Lottery can do so by sending them an e-mail at: LotteryInfo@NorthstarLottery.net.

Lottery Post Staff

Comments

JADELottery's avatarJADELottery

In Case of R.N.G.

Press, HARD.

mypiemaster's avatarmypiemaster

RNG? Seriously?. More like one step forward, 1000 steps backwards. Oh, I almost forgot, this is Illinois politics we are talking about. Shame!!!.

JADELottery's avatarJADELottery
mypiemaster's avatarmypiemaster

Illinois lottery players are about to be hosed, for real.

temptustoo's avatartemptustoo

Great reason to just stop playing.  They have finally put the nail in the coffin.  Leave it to these states that have went to computer to mess up a great lottery..  that is typical of politics and government getting involved long enough to screw things up...  Good bye lottery.........

JADELottery's avatarJADELottery

Essentially they turned every Lottery Retailer into a Toll Booth... WAY TO GO!!!

haymaker's avatarhaymaker

Lottery officials call the move "exciting"

Ever notice how these "officials" are "excited" by things that don't effect them on a retail level ?

I wonder how "excited" they'll be when they realize that many people that live near the border

are buying in other states !

Some already are B/C of the non-payment on prizes over $25G

JordanT1021's avatarJordanT1021

R.I.P.

WWWBUKTN

Quote: Originally posted by temptustoo on Sep 25, 2015

Great reason to just stop playing.  They have finally put the nail in the coffin.  Leave it to these states that have went to computer to mess up a great lottery..  that is typical of politics and government getting involved long enough to screw things up...  Good bye lottery.........

You hit the nail on the head.  As a disgusted Illinois player well before I caught wind of this today you can be assured that I'm finished playing the Illinois Lottery.  If there's not balls bouncing around they there's nothing "random" about it in my book.    I'm honestly done and I already dropped my play about 60% over the last year anyhow when they started screwing around with the frequency, matrix's and payouts of Lucky Day.   Illinois Lottery is no more than an open till for politicians.   I can't believe they are stupid enough to shoot the golden goose, I'm mean that's straight insanity but good for them as I've hated them for years and even more now after sending Northstar packing but not changing back all the nonsense game changes.   Goodnight Illinois Lottery and thanks for the extra money that will be lining my pockets starting day one when you stop pulling balls.

spartan1707's avatarspartan1707

Another SAD DAY for us players....Those computers pick the less picked number to ensure the House wins and keeps high picked one out. Those are facts. Every state which uses it have doubled or even tripled their earnings and given high bonuses to the company which run them. Hate it!

Get paid's avatarGet paid

Sounds like typical american politics to me.

luteman

Might start giving Indiana and Wisconsin a shot.

noise-gate

Don't these outfits ever learn? They keep circling the bowl until the suction takes them down.The sad part is that the hard earned money of the players goes down with their ridiculous ideas.Why did they not put this " exciting " idea to a vote by the playing public or better yet-"Read LP'S succinct thought on the matter? This is called ramming an idea down the throats of the players and telling them  "  Don't worry,like most medications it only tastes bad at first, but you'll get used to it."

pdevans

Hey, Spartan, I'm in Georgia, and I can't prove it, but I have always suspected that the computer picked the least played numbers....our All or Nothing game is computerized by the way, and has been around for about 1 1/2 years and no one hardly wins....kinda suspicious to me.

Anyway, do you know where I can go to get facts or information on this. 

 

 

 

Thanks

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