| Posted: September 1, 2007, 6:19 pm - IP Logged | |
from the article:
"Kym Gerlock, vice president of communications for the Tennessee Lottery, said the reappearance of number 940 was random chance.
"It was not an error. It's rare, but it does happen," Gerlock said. "Each drawing is a totally separate instance and one is not related to another."
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And so the dance begins ...
"It's rare, but it does happen." What she should have said is, "It's rare but it does happen here, and in other states that use easily-corruptible technology."
I notice that many of you are posting examples of identical numbers that hit on consecutive days, but I have yet to see anyone who has uncovered an instance of the same number being drawn twice on the same day. I've been tracking the lotteries for many, many years, and I don't remember this happening in any state lottery (I was forced to edit this statement after seeing Todd's post in his new thread. See: "List of Each Time Midday and Evening Numbers Were Equal." Apparently, I was mistaken (*gasp*); they said my eyes would be the first to go).
Incidentally, she forgot to mention how much integrity they have, and she neglected to assure the players that the highest security measures are in place. Now, the trick is to get people playing again. They'll pay a few winners for a while, but their payouts will begin to decline rapidly soon after their sales recover to a profitable level.
I'll warn you now to watch for new Tennessee scratch-off games to be introduced at a blinding rate. Unless I'm mistaken, this should begin next month (they always seem to start in October, introducing more and more scratch-off games through the fall and winter). It's likely they'll introduce at least two new $20.00 scratch-offs, but the trend now is beginning to lean toward $50.00 and even $100.00 scratch-off games. Next, players will complain that non-existent prizes were advertised for these games, and Gerlock will make a statement saying that it was a simple oversight, that some programmer neglected to update their web site. Meanwhile, the people who spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on these games because the odds seem to favor a major win will have no hope of recovering their money.
Oh, well; we're sorry for your loss, if that helps, even though it wasn't technically our fault.
They're not going to give you a fair game if you keep playing one over which they have complete control. Would it kill you to save the money you would have spent until you've forced them to return to an honest game? That's the only weapon you have; it's your only hope of victory over a group of people who wield corruption and fraud as they would a sword and shield. RNG's, as they're used by state lotteries, are designed to "maximize profits" (read: "steal your money").
"I know the game is crooked, but it's the only game in town." As long as Tennessee players keep this attitude, they have no one to blame but themselves when Tennessee's lottery becomes a clone of Indiana's. You've been warned; you know what's coming, and yet you continue to give them your support and your money, because you're afraid you might win.
Come, Pinky; we must prepare for tomorrow night...
Jim
