Robert Johnson's lucky number is typically 909, but not this month.
The Nashville man has played the Tennessee Lottery's Cash 3 game twice a day, every day this month, and his numbers haven't come up.
Turns out, they couldn't have. A computer programming error has prevented any number from being selected more than once in Cash 3 and Cash 4 drawings over the past three weeks, the Tennessee Lottery said Tuesday.
The error meant that no winning draw included duplicate numerals, so any ticket holder who had bet on a number such as 2-2-1 or 7-7-7-7, or Johnson's 909, wasn't going to win.
"Yeah, I'm upset about it," said Johnson, who estimates he spent about $50 in the past three weeks on Cash 3.
"That's a whole lot of money. A lot of people lost a lot of money."
The lottery doesn't know how many tickets were affected. Rebecca Hargrove, chief of the state lottery, said roughly 1 million Cash 3 tickets and 500,000 Cash 4 tickets are sold each week.
A news release from the lottery blamed the problem on "a human error made by an outside, third-party vendor."
Hargrove said a programmer for the vendor, New Jersey-based Smartplay International Inc., made a keystroke error when setting the parameters for Cash 3 and Cash 4, typing a "u" for "unique" instead of an "r" for "repeat."
A second third-party vendor, New Jersey-based Gaming Laboratories Inc., also erred by certifying that the drawings were random and complied with the rules of the games, Hargrove said.
"We are investigating any legal options that we have," Hargrove said, adding that the error was corrected Monday night.
Players who picked duplicate numbers and still have their tickets can get a double refund for each ticket or two free plays equal to the play amount on the ticket, the lottery said.
Players want refunds
Barbara Birdsong, a cashier at the Bill Martin grocery store in east Nashville, said about a dozen customers came in Tuesday wanting to know how they could get their money back.
"One man said he had 100 tickets he'd been saving," Birdsong said.
The cashier wishes she were so lucky. She said she plays 4889, her grandmother's birth date and age, almost every day but doesn't save her tickets.
"One day I'll hit it big, so it doesn't bother me," Birdsong said.
Hargrove said Tuesday that the problem was discovered because lottery officials realized no duplicate numbers had been drawn between July 28, when the computerized drawings began, and Aug. 20, an indication that something was wrong.
Hendersonville resident M. L. Lemmonds said he knew that before the lottery announced the problem.
"Randomly selected over several drawings, there should be two or three like digits 28 percent of the time in a three digit number," Lemmonds said in a letter to WKRN television station, which broadcasts the drawings.
"Since you have changed the method of the drawings, there have been 41 drawings. None of the drawings have contained two or more like digits." [Editor: There have actually been 82 flawed drawings, including the Pick 4 drawings.)
The Tennessee Lottery began using computerized drawings, instead of manual drawings with numbered balls, last month.
For those who play Cash 3 or Cash 4 for the next 23 days, from Aug. 22 until Sept. 13, the lottery will offer additional cash prizes.
Players can win up to $599 in Cash 3 and up to $6,000 in Cash 4. Players normally can win up to $500 for Cash 3 and $5,000 for Cash 4.
Quote: Originally posted by Raven62 on Aug 22, 2007
Sounds like Computer Fraud: Contact the Tennessee Attorney Generals Office!
You're absolutely right. This should be investigated from many angles, including the computers, as well as the stories told to players questioning the lottery. I want to know if they really did test draws after hearing complaints.
They couldn't possibly have tested the drawings and gotten multiple (let alone a single) doubles. The statement said the programmer hit "u" for unique instead of "r" for repeat. If this is a factual statement and this really is what happened, then it is absolutely impossible for a test drawing to have produced a repeat number.
We are suppossed to believe that a highly paid, professional programmer...who presumably does this for a living...made a fundamental mistake and simply hit the wrong key. Then we asked to believe that another highly paid, professional security person...who presumably does this for a living...tested the program and didn't see the mistake. Next we are told to believe that the Tennessee Lottery itself tested the program and despite the programming mistake...which made it absolutely impossible to get a repeat number...they got one.
The Tennessee Lottery is clearly not telling the truth here. Their own words prove it.
There was a programing error that made it impossible for a double to occur but when they tested the machine they got doubles so now they have indentified the problem and fixed it.
I read somewhere that the Tennessee Lottery sells about 1 million Pick 3 tickets and 1/2 a million Pick 4 tickets a week. This problem went on for 3 weeks. That's roughly $4.5 million in sales.
Somebody wrote that about half of the tickets sold are doubles. Assuming that info is correct that equals roughly 2,225,000 tickets.
These tickets had absolutely no chance of winning so all the tickets sales from this group was just pure profit for the Tennessee Lottery.
It has been reported that Rebecca Paul makes over $300,000 a year as Director of the Tennessee Lottery (although to be fair I saw one news report that said she only makes about $250,000 a year) and gets a bouns based on profitability that can be as much as 65% of her salary. again assuming the reports are accurate that's more than $195,000 in bonus money on top of her salary.
Yeah she's real sorry those players got cheated all right. But I bet that sorrow turns to joy when she gets that bonus check!
Amazing! The players get cheated and the Director ends up winning all the money!
https://www.lotterypost.com/news/161314
Sounds like Computer Fraud: Contact the Tennessee Attorney Generals Office!
Thanks for cross-linking to the other story. I posted this one also, because it brought some new information and different perspectives.
You're absolutely right. This should be investigated from many angles, including the computers, as well as the stories told to players questioning the lottery. I want to know if they really did test draws after hearing complaints.
This Tennessee thing is blowing up-
Good !!!
They couldn't possibly have tested the drawings and gotten multiple (let alone a single) doubles. The statement said the programmer hit "u" for unique instead of "r" for repeat. If this is a factual statement and this really is what happened, then it is absolutely impossible for a test drawing to have produced a repeat number.
We are suppossed to believe that a highly paid, professional programmer...who presumably does this for a living...made a fundamental mistake and simply hit the wrong key. Then we asked to believe that another highly paid, professional security person...who presumably does this for a living...tested the program and didn't see the mistake. Next we are told to believe that the Tennessee Lottery itself tested the program and despite the programming mistake...which made it absolutely impossible to get a repeat number...they got one.
The Tennessee Lottery is clearly not telling the truth here. Their own words prove it.
There was a programing error that made it impossible for a double to occur but when they tested the machine they got doubles so now they have indentified the problem and fixed it.
Yeah right!
Jim
Tennessee players ... Ignore that man behind the curtain. Oh, and welcome to the Hoosier Lottery.
As I said in another post...This is the Hoosierization of the Tennessee Lottery.
NYUCK NYUCK NYUCK NYUCK...
Jim
http://www.wkrn.com/nashville/news/lottery-officials-consider-legal-action-for-contractors-mistake/113803.htm#top
This is an interesting video... *Rolls Eyes*
that link was funny rebecca paul was pretending like she was really sorry. if she was sorry she would go back to the live ball drawing and dump RNG.
Computerized drawings are UNCONSTITUTIONAL!
You FEEL me?????
"Always tell the truth-- that will astonish some and gratify the rest"
. Pres. Harry S. Truman, Democrat
"The New Jersey gaming company that contracts with the state admitted there was a flaw in the computer system."
An interesting development to say the least.
Jim
Oh she could never do that. Then the players would miss out on those really exciting computer animations!
Yeah I bet Rebecca is real sorry!
I read somewhere that the Tennessee Lottery sells about 1 million Pick 3 tickets and 1/2 a million Pick 4 tickets a week. This problem went on for 3 weeks. That's roughly $4.5 million in sales.
Somebody wrote that about half of the tickets sold are doubles. Assuming that info is correct that equals roughly 2,225,000 tickets.
These tickets had absolutely no chance of winning so all the tickets sales from this group was just pure profit for the Tennessee Lottery.
It has been reported that Rebecca Paul makes over $300,000 a year as Director of the Tennessee Lottery (although to be fair I saw one news report that said she only makes about $250,000 a year) and gets a bouns based on profitability that can be as much as 65% of her salary. again assuming the reports are accurate that's more than $195,000 in bonus money on top of her salary.
Yeah she's real sorry those players got cheated all right. But I bet that sorrow turns to joy when she gets that bonus check!
Amazing! The players get cheated and the Director ends up winning all the money!
Jim