Tenn. Lottery players complaining over switch from numbered balls

Aug 8, 2007, 3:44 pm (50 comments)

Tennessee Lottery

Thanks to the Tennessee Lottery's unilateral decision to abandon traditional lottery drawings using numbered balls to pick the winning numbers on television, many players have decided to stop playing.

The Tennessee Lottery now has computers generate random numbers instead of the player-preferred televised drawings.

Lottery officials say the new system is as secure as the old one. Many players don't like the change, though.

"I don't trust the computerized drawings," said Nashville resident Richard Brymer, 51. "Possibly someone could do something to compromise the computerized drawings.

Brymer said he quit playing state lottery games when he found out about the lottery commission's decision to switch to computerized drawings. He continues playing Powerball because it still uses live drawings.

"I'd rather see the drawings live because of the excitement of the live drawings," he said.

The lottery began using computers to generate random numbers on July 28 for all of its lottery games, including Cash 3, Cash 4 and Lotto 5.

Lottery spokeswoman Kym Gerlock said the lottery changed the drawings to keep up with changing technology and industry trends. Twelve other state lotteries use computerized drawings, she said.

Gerlock says the lottery has received some complaints about the new system, though lottery officials hope players will eventually accept the new technology.

She said two computers at the lottery's headquarters act as random number generators, and the computers are videotaped and overseen by security.

"The security and integrity of our games is of utmost importance," she said. "There's no reason to doubt these drawings or question the integrity of how we do the drawings."

AP

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KyMystikal's avatarKyMystikal

More people need to boycott the lottery. I also don't see what taping a computer picking the numbers is really doing???? I'm like Richard, I only play Powerball in TN because it is live and no tax in TN.

tnlotto1's avatartnlotto1

word is finally getting around this state so the players can wake up and realize whats happening and ask the lottery to change back to true drawings.

qutgnt

I love how a having a tv show and having balls is such a drag on the lotteries profits. Poor Lottery with its 50% payouts and the tax it keeps on the winnings.

DoubleDown

"There's no reason to doubt these drawings or question the integrity of how we do the drawings."

 

She should have added : " And anyone that questions us can just kiss our you know whats..."

Bradly_60's avatarBradly_60

I know everyone doesn't like computerized drawings...well it seems that way anyway.

But one thought, balls can just as easily be manipulated as a computer.  Different weights, different sizes, doesn't anyone remember the PA story of the 80's I believe.  I do think there is way to much emphasis on this non-computerized drawing kick. 

Someone should do a statistical analysis on drawings that are made by computers and ones that are done with balls.  I bet there won't be a difference and if there is then I would be a believer against computer drawings as well.

Brad 

Todd's avatarTodd

Quote: Originally posted by Bradly_60 on Aug 8, 2007

I know everyone doesn't like computerized drawings...well it seems that way anyway.

But one thought, balls can just as easily be manipulated as a computer.  Different weights, different sizes, doesn't anyone remember the PA story of the 80's I believe.  I do think there is way to much emphasis on this non-computerized drawing kick. 

Someone should do a statistical analysis on drawings that are made by computers and ones that are done with balls.  I bet there won't be a difference and if there is then I would be a believer against computer drawings as well.

Brad 

No.  Traditional drawings cannot be just as easily -- or as thoroughly -- manipulated as computerized drawings can.

If you read my postings (or a dozen other peoples') on this subject over the past month you would understand.

You can't SEE what is happening in a computer.  There are infinite more ways that a computer could screw up the drawing.

Let's take, for example, a drawing screw-up.  Everyone has seen a YouTube or Google video of lottery balls falling all over the floor when a drawing gets screwed up.   The lottery folks get red-faced in embarrassment, and the drawing needs to be reset.  But at least everyone can clearly see that an error has happened, and people are forgiving of these things, because it's only natural that things occasionally break.

However, computers are a different story.  How exactly can anyone even SEE that the drawing was screwed up, when it all takes place in a computer?  The fact is that nobody can see it, and it is well-documented here on Lottery Post how buggy drawings have gone on for MONTHS before anyone noticed.  And even then it was caught by a PLAYER, not by the lottery.

Fans of the lottery -- people who enjoy playing the games every day -- don't want computerized drawings.  Period.  They want real lottery drawings.

Rick G's avatarRick G

Quote: Originally posted by Todd on Aug 8, 2007

No.  Traditional drawings cannot be just as easily -- or as thoroughly -- manipulated as computerized drawings can.

If you read my postings (or a dozen other peoples') on this subject over the past month you would understand.

You can't SEE what is happening in a computer.  There are infinite more ways that a computer could screw up the drawing.

Let's take, for example, a drawing screw-up.  Everyone has seen a YouTube or Google video of lottery balls falling all over the floor when a drawing gets screwed up.   The lottery folks get red-faced in embarrassment, and the drawing needs to be reset.  But at least everyone can clearly see that an error has happened, and people are forgiving of these things, because it's only natural that things occasionally break.

However, computers are a different story.  How exactly can anyone even SEE that the drawing was screwed up, when it all takes place in a computer?  The fact is that nobody can see it, and it is well-documented here on Lottery Post how buggy drawings have gone on for MONTHS before anyone noticed.  And even then it was caught by a PLAYER, not by the lottery.

Fans of the lottery -- people who enjoy playing the games every day -- don't want computerized drawings.  Period.  They want real lottery drawings.

A-Men!

Kudos to the TN players for boycotting the drawings.  The only way they'll listen is when it affects profits.

Don't give in, don't buy.

Uncle Jim

BOYCOTT!  BOYCOTT!  BOYCOTT!

What's most amazing to me is how the Lottery's in general don't care what their players want or don't want.  They hope that after the initial flood of bad opinion people will come to accept their decision to go RNG.

I think you guys and gals in Tennessee should mount a serious grass roots campaign against the RNG and adopt Rick G's slogan until they give in:

Dont' give in, don't buy!

Jim 

jarasan's avatarjarasan

I have another acronym for RNG "Really Not a Game".

 

 Burn baby burn.

MADDOG10's avatarMADDOG10

AMEN Tennessee, keep the presure on DO NOT buy lottery tickets. It's hitting them where it hurts the most, their pockets - not yours.

Kudos to all of you..............!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  KEEP BOYCOTTING.

What difference doe's it make if you videotape a computerized drawing, it can still be fixed before the taping. Don't fall for their line of crap...!

DoubleDown

RNG = Really No Good

LOTTOMIKE's avatarLOTTOMIKE

my girlfriend who knows nothing period about the lottery asked me if i saw the new tennessee lottery drawings on the new station they moved the draws to.i asked why and she said the drawing looked really 'fake'.now thats bad coming from someone who knows nothing about the lottery.tennessee is really screwing up.

GASMETERGUY

Quote: Originally posted by Bradly_60 on Aug 8, 2007

I know everyone doesn't like computerized drawings...well it seems that way anyway.

But one thought, balls can just as easily be manipulated as a computer.  Different weights, different sizes, doesn't anyone remember the PA story of the 80's I believe.  I do think there is way to much emphasis on this non-computerized drawing kick. 

Someone should do a statistical analysis on drawings that are made by computers and ones that are done with balls.  I bet there won't be a difference and if there is then I would be a believer against computer drawings as well.

Brad 

Bradly

     I accept as a fact that there exists a big difference between ball drawn and computer picked.

     I have been tracking several states which have either one or the other and I can see from my data, my patterns, that RNG is much more random than ball drawn.  While my "proof" will not measure up to the "smoking gun" concept, what I see has me completely convinced a difference exists. 

     I am not attempting to convince anyone else, tho.  What anyone chooses to believe is their business.  I just hate the fact I have to go back to day one with the Tennessee Lotto.  If Kentucky had a P5 game, I would play up there for while.  Instead, I am switching to Powerball.

spy153's avatarspy153

Quote: Originally posted by jarasan on Aug 8, 2007

I have another acronym for RNG "Really Not a Game".

 

 Burn baby burn.

Green laugh

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