It's been a while since my last post here at the Lottery post, but this question caught my eye.

pegleg, even when the Numbers are picked by balls, it is still manipulated..that is a fact. If it wasn't, there would be no Lottery!

I voted no also.  At least in the old "numbers game" it was based on the stock market's closing quote and that couldn't be be manipulated.  Then the state got involved and now they want to not only generate our quick picks, but they want to select the numbers with that same system.  Begs of dishonesty to me.

This lowers the integrity of the game to instant tickets and when it comes to that, I'll stop playing.

As we are seeing more and more today, our computers are very easily manipulated by third parties (Spyware for example) and I'll take an analog selection system any day over a computerized one.

PS to the comment about the lottery being "manipulated", to the best of my knowledge only one case of rigging exists and that happened in the PA lottery years ago and they all got busted.  Harder to manipulate ping pong balls and get away with it then to manipulate computer code.

I'm opposed to use of computers to pick winning numbers.

Software can be manipulated, and probably would be in places where political demand for more profits is strong.

One could expect those in control of the computer to vehemently deny that they are 'managing' winning numbers.

Problem for the players is proving otherwise, which might not be possible without access to the software program. 

I'll take the bouncing balls.

I say yes.

I voted for no too. In both cases they can manipulate the result. Much easier on computer machines but the balls bouncing around is more entertaining and give you a feel that they cannot really control the outcome.

The state lotteries on Pick 3 already hold a 50 percent house edge. This switching to computer generated numbers is sick. What are they reallly hiding!!!!!! They are bound and determined to totally control the game. Personally if they all go that way I hope nobody plays and they all pack up and go home. People like to see the balls turn, it adds to the suspense of winning and it seems honest. State lotteries who are going to computer numbers I hope this comes back to bite you in the hind end. Hope you go from a 6 figure income to being unemployed, that will teach you to be greedy.

My pick3 studies tell me, that they might not need the computers to manipulate the results, that they might have been doing this all along, it will just make it easier and better for them to do it with the computers, less trouble, you know.

But again, they will do what ever they want, any time they want, no matter what.

Who is going to stop them?

MY self imposed job is to crack their games and I am doing my best and so far my best is very good.

I voted no - the day Ohio starts using a computer to draw numbers is the day I stop playing in Ohio!!

computers aren't completely perfetc when it comes to randomly drawing numbers.

In short, No!

One of these days I plan on setting up a program just to see if I can duplicate the PA daily pick 3/4 guess at the time they pick it (1:35 P.M.  EST) using a Visual Basic random seed extractor I had previously been developing... If I can get positive results over a full week of draws (similar seed resulting in the right number) then I will go ahead and play a computer picked game, but barring that, never...

When I choose my own numbers and the drawing is done with a mechanical machine using numbered lotto balls...I feel that it's just me against the whims of Lady Luck and I'm totally satisfied with the numbers drawn...win or lose! I feel that the result is random and fair.

But, when I choose my numbers to play and the actual drawing is done with a computer program...I feel like I'm playing against a totally different set of rules no matter what the lottery may claim. I don't like that game and can't help but question the result.

Keep the mechanical drawings and numbered lottery balls. Why change a good thing? Why tamper with something that is tried and true? ...and universally accepted by virtually everyone who plays. Attempting to maximize profits and convenience for the lottery by using computers for the official draw just doesn't seem worth the risk. They are tampering with the very essence of the game...the actual drawing itself.

... the lottery never fails to surprise!

I voted no, I would stop trying to predict the numbers and just buy an occasional Quick Pick ticket if I was feeling lucky that day.  Bobp

See . . .  Axis of Weasels

http://www.lotto-logix.com/weasels.html

Never!

They can kiss their revenue

GOOD BYE!!

caronel

Unfortuanately, Louisiana has been using a computer for its lottery games for some time now.  The Pick 3 and Pick 4 games are computer picked.  Don't know about Cash Quest, Lotto, etc., but it wouldn't surprise me if they were. 

Thank you for the respnoses. I also voted no. There seems something sinister and wrong about letting a lottery industry controlled machine that could be programmed to select numbers based on some program we have information on, i. e. the source code, that produces the numbers. Also, there could be other code loaded on a computer that we would not know about that could influence the outcome of those numbers. My analogy is, this would be just like having someone the lottery industry knows very well and has that person 'hand pick' some balls from a machine. It's a 6 of 49 lottery, for example, and when the person goes to pick the numbers out of the machine there's only 6 balls to choose from. But Hey, they did make sure all 6 balls were picked at random.

Another thing comes to mind. How do you audit a virtual dvent. With ball based machine, at least you could see what is going on... now, 'out of sight, out of mind' is the goal.

the biggest pitfall would e the simple query of the played numbers database to exclude combos heavily played...

Quote: Originally posted by hypersoniq on July 30, 2004

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the biggest pitfall would e the simple query of the played numbers database to exclude combos heavily played...

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I guess yo

i can think of a few states (such as NY, MA, NJ and PA-nite) that will never go to a RNG.  They would just lose all their player support.

Ugh, I hate RNGs. I play because I like seeing the balls bounce around and hope they come up the right way. I'm a firm believer in the things computers can do. But there are two things I don't want them doing, flying passenger aircraft, and drawing lottery numbers.

i like the ball machines because it tells you that the drawing is authentic.  also, if a drawing error occurs, you see it. 

Are you counting keno every few minutes?

with keno, it's a little more understandable because they would have t keep those drawings hours apart if they used ball machines.

EW:

You think Mass will be next?

i know they will be next.  they already announced it, even thought their hostesses are recignized statewide, and everyone there is used to seeing the drawings live and non-computerized.  even though the wheels they use for the numbers game seem a little flawed (you can figure out what hits by using the laws of physics.).

Not counting PowerPlay, Mass is the only state I know of using wheels.