I rarely shop Royal Farms now because of the changes made with the DE Lottery, but today I decided to stop in and, lo and behold, the Delaware Lottery terminal was back on the counter.   It was silent, unattended, and a little sad actually.  Most of the employees I knew by sight at this store are long gone - hours cut if not jobs.  I would not want to venture (and I'm sure RF will not admit) how much revenue they've lost due to the change.   We are a small community, so a little change is a big deal especially when it comes to revenue.  Of course, the automated dispenser is still present and equally less than busy.

  No matter how small Delaware is, stumbles of this magnitude do little to inspire confidence in players.  My take is that we are trying so hard to be ahead we are falling behind.  Sports betting, Keno, drawing games, scratch offs - all have their place in the stream but if you cannot access play, none of the actual games matter.  For instance, RF was not a huge Keno draw, but it was growing because they provide a comfortable place to sit, play, and/or eat.  Taking away the store terminal killed that.   The timeline on playing Keno is tight to begin with but without human intervention, automated dispensing is just not an option.  One player will get tickets, the next 3 players will not, at least not in time. I happen to believe Keno will be phased out soon in Delaware.  Sports betting likewise is not an option with automation, at least not yet.  I have no predictions on the failure or success of sports betting, however, I have familiarity with these players.  I'll put it this way, what they lack in numbers they more than make up for in juice.  Talk about enthusiastic if not downright obsessed.   With respect, it does get a little comical when a player has no clue how this gaming works and they try to mix it up with the clerk.  Knowing every stat, every player, and all the odds will not help one bit if you do not understand the flow of parlay. 

Unfortunately, as changes abound without any sign of letup, the lack of oversight and transparency available to players has finally taken a real foothold in the playing community.   While conspiracy theories are always floating with computerized drawings, every day people play P3 and P4 and win.  Hard to tout foul play in the face of cashing a ticket.  However, the reality is a little more difficult to wrap your head around.  Most players I've talked to bring it down to a basic - the money wagered on a particular number is hedged against variables known only to the agency and then what falls is monitored and a tiny little reset button changes the outcome so that the house shines where it needs to.  Notice I did not say that the house always wins, because it does not.  Numbers played do fall and people do win, but the "control" you believe you have concomitant with randomness simply does not exist.  Actually, the problem is too much randomness.  That a computer generates a 3 or 4 digit number is believable.  If a number is generated, tossed aside and the next number generated takes its place, what exactly has occurred?  Manipulation of order but both numbers were, in fact, generated "randomly" by the computer.   I do understand greater brains have pointed out that there is no such thing as "random" with regard to computer generation.   I have ignored this for a long time but recently someone I know who is close to the agency whispered in my ear that I need to stop playing P3 and P4.   Here, my logical brain kicks right in - how long exactly and how many people can be expected to keep a secret or knowledge of this type without spilling to someone?  The other side of my brain just kicks in that it's not actually a secret, just something built into a computer program that keeps the wheels spinning until they land, much like a slot machine, where they are programmed to land.  And here is where that fuzzy, yet to be defined part of my brain kicks in -  What do I believe?  Deep breath (this is painful to admit) - I believe that computerized drawings have allowed manipulation of the numbers that fall vs. the numbers that are presented as having fallen.   If there is anyone who can convince me that this is not or could not be the case, I welcome the insight.   I would like to be wrong on this.