Hello All,
This concerns information about the Massachusetts Lottery Commission's Mass Cash game.
Mass Cash is a pick 5 from 35 game.
A member who posted in another forum recommended that the long term range in the software should be set to the last time that a lottery commission destroys the old ball sets and replaces them with new ones.
That person advised that I contact my lottery commission and ask them when the last time was that they did this.
So I asked them this question:
"When was the last time that the Massachusetts Lottery Commission destroyed the old ball sets and replaced them with new ones? Do you know the exact date on which this happened or exactly how many days ago it was?
Do you follow a specific periodic schedule for destroying old Mass Cash ball sets and replacing them with new ones? If so can you please tell me? I would like to know so I know what range to use in the software."
Then I got back this answer which I quote verbatim:
"Thank you for contacting the Mass. State Lottery regarding our Mass Cash game ball sets. The most recent replacement of the Mass Cash ball sets occurred in June of 2017. I do not have a specific date when the new ball sets were implemented. We contract with a company that does scheduled maintenance of the ball sets and we replace them based on their recommendations. "
So I conclude that:
It appears that the Massachusetts Lottery Commission receives the new ball sets and checks them out and tests them before retiring and destroying the old ball sets. It is done in that order.
So there is no specific date that I can use. Should I use a best guess estimate for the long term range to use in the software based on the information that they gave to me?
What would YOU people out there recommend for the best long term range based on this data?
I should also note that in the response that I got from the Mass Lottery Commission, I noticed that they ignored entirely my other question about whether or not they follow a specific periodic schedule for destroying old Mass Cash ball sets and replacing them with new ones.
I do think that the Commission follows a specific periodic schedule because that is implied by their statement that their contractor does "scheduled maintenance" of the ball sets.
So these are my questions for all you Lottery Post members out there:
What range is recommended for the long term setting in my software based on the July 2017 ball set change?
The contractor does periodic maintenance and replacement of the ball set. Given that there is a very limited pool of contractors available for this kind of very specialized work and the very high likelihood that multiple lottery state lottery commission use the same contractor, what would be the best educated guess as to what a ball set maintenance schedule and replacement would be ?
I would think that the various lottery commissions follow more or less the same kind of schedule.
Of particular interest, what would be the best guess anyone could come up with for when the next replacement of the ball set in the Mass Cash game would occur given that the last one took place in July of 2017?
Thanks in advance to all for supplying the best possible answers to these questions.
Best Regards and 4th of July Holiday Wishes!!!
Kosh