Tennessee Lottery players unanimous in their discontent with drawings

Sep 2, 2007, 9:32 am (19 comments)

Tennessee Lottery

Reder Views: Do you have faith in the Tennessee Lottery?

Managers of the Tennessee Lottery must think those playing the lottery are either awfully naive or just plain dumb. Why? It appears to me that winners of future lotteries will no longer be just because of honest luck.

Changing the method from purely chance - that is, from air- blown pingpong balls rolling down chutes (unless they already have been cheating by adding weights to some pingpong balls) — to a programmed computer approach raises all kinds of suspicions.

Now what prevents the computer from being programmed so there will not be any big winners until there are huge payoffs  in order to attract more participants? Further, what prevents a programmer (or consortium of programmers) from setting the computer so as to select those numbers on tickets purchased — secretly, of course — through non-family arrangements which on the surface meet eligibility requirements to be winners? Tennessee lottery players beware.

Dwight Baptist
Brentwood 37027

Well that was a big surprise. Just as soon as they tried to fix the lottery drawings, someone figured out we were being cheated.

The old drawings with the balls are the only fair way to have a drawing. Anytime you start using something electronic the games can be rigged. If you check the payouts since they changed, I'll bet there haven't been any big payouts.

The computers know what numbers not to throw up there. The lawmakers that oversee the lottery should make them change it back or drop Pick 3 and 4 and just have scratch-offs and Powerball. Let's keep the games fair.

Michael Young
Nashville 37211

When the Tennessee Lottery first became legal, Pick 3, Pick 4 and Lotto 5 were all picked using balls in a tumbler. They were honest and tampering was all but impossible.

Now, the honesty of those games is highly questionable. By admission of the chief operating officer, Pick 3 and 4 were operating illegally for weeks and the verifying agency still declared them to be working properly.

The trouble with computers is that the odds can be manipulated. Odds can be raised or lowered at will by the people programming the games as was recently demonstrated.

There are now fewer small winners and the jackpots are getting bigger. The sad thing is that the winnings are not being spread around like they used to be. The jackpots are bigger but the winnings are going to fewer individuals. The same is true for Powerball.

It makes more sense to have multiple smaller winners and spread the money around. When people win they buy more tickets.

I am all in favor of more money for our schools but not by dishonesty or manipulation of the games, which were originally created to be fair and tamper proof.

Fred Hutchison
White House 37188

Has anyone other than myself noticed the double numbers being drawn on Pick 3 and 4? Since the discovery of a glitch in the program that would not let the computer pick duplicate numbers, just about every drawing now has duplicates. Another glitch on computer rigging? Trying to make up for all the duplicates that were not drawn before?

Al Palmer
Buchanan 38222

So the lottery computers were rigged? You must show your ticket to prove you were cheated.

How about the computers that will be used in the presidential election? Can they be trusted? Where is my "ticket" to later prove I was cheated?

Charles Sumner
Nashville 37221

Tennessean

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johnph77's avatarjohnph77

Unfortunately, ball drawings can be rigged as well. Individual balls can be fractionally larger, smaller, lighter and/or heavier than others in the same bin to increase or decrease the possibility of that ball being attracted or blown into the exit chute. But, for most lottery aficionados, it's a better alternative than RNGs.

gl

j

four4me

Yea but for the most part all balls are within specific parameters of weight and measurement as denoted by the people whom manufacture them and place them in sets and by the people who are responsible for calibrating the balls and machines before a drawing. Each ball weighs tenth of grams of one another each size is calibrated so as to not be restricted going through the tubes.

Computers can be calibrated a hundred different ways to rob and thwart the players.

jim695

Quote: Originally posted by johnph77 on Sep 2, 2007

Unfortunately, ball drawings can be rigged as well. Individual balls can be fractionally larger, smaller, lighter and/or heavier than others in the same bin to increase or decrease the possibility of that ball being attracted or blown into the exit chute. But, for most lottery aficionados, it's a better alternative than RNGs.

gl

j

   That's true, John, but rigging a ball drawing requires the involvement of several people, whereas RNG's can be corrupted by one dishonest individual. Also, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to rig the outcome of mechanical drawings on a consistent basis without some type of evidence being discovered, either by viewers or by honest auditors. That evidence would have to be destroyed after every drawing, and the method must be recreated for each subsequent drawing without alerting anyone who isn't involved in the scam. Any lottery programmer worth his salt can create a Trojan Horse which can bury itself once the drawing is complete. It could only be found by manually combing through hundreds of thousands of lines of code, a daunting and time-consuming task.

   Nick Perry recruited five men to help him pull off the Pennsylvania "666" scandal in 1980. It would not have been possible for him to execute his plan without help from insiders and outsiders alike, which proved to be the major flaw in his designs to rig just one mechanical drawing. The Maragos brothers didn't exactly keep a low profile while they traveled throughout the state buying several thousand Pennsylvania Pick-3 tickets over a two-day period, and they even told their friends and family members which numbers to play (*there were only eight possible combinations: 444, 446, 464, 466, 644, 646, 664 and 666). 

   Greed is a very powerful trait in those who practice it, but combining computers and lotteries only invites disaster

    * Wikipedia.com  

Todd's avatarTodd

Quote: Originally posted by johnph77 on Sep 2, 2007

Unfortunately, ball drawings can be rigged as well. Individual balls can be fractionally larger, smaller, lighter and/or heavier than others in the same bin to increase or decrease the possibility of that ball being attracted or blown into the exit chute. But, for most lottery aficionados, it's a better alternative than RNGs.

gl

j

ANYTHING can be rigged, but it's comparing apples and oranges.  They are not even close. 

It can also snow in July, but I don't bother talking about that because it's only theoretically possible, not something remotely reasonable.

MADDOG10's avatarMADDOG10

Managers of the Tennessee Lottery must think those playing the lottery are either awfully naive or just plain dumb. Why? It appears to me that winners of future lotteries will no longer be just because of honest luck.

Changing the method from purely chance - that is, from air- blown pingpong balls rolling down chutes (unless they already have been cheating by adding weights to some pingpong balls) — to a programmed computer approach raises all kinds of suspicions.

Now what prevents the computer from being programmed so there will not be any big winners until there are huge payoffs  in order to attract more participants? Further, what prevents a programmer (or consortium of programmers) from setting the computer so as to select those numbers on tickets purchased — secretly, of course — through non-family arrangements which on the surface meet eligibility requirements to be winners? Tennessee lottery players beware.

________________________________________________________________________

Yes folks, open your EYE'S instead of your wallet. Honestly would you by a used car from this director, or the states lottery commission ???? I would'nt..! So why are you still playing the lottery?? Boycott the lottery until they at least give you a fair shake.  period..............................

They pulled the rug out from under you when they implimented the change to computors without even giving the people a fair shake, now what would make you think they'll do it now.

They don't give a damn about the people or players of Tennessee and that is more than evident now than ever....!!!!!

computerhead723's avatarcomputerhead723

Quote: Originally posted by johnph77 on Sep 2, 2007

Unfortunately, ball drawings can be rigged as well. Individual balls can be fractionally larger, smaller, lighter and/or heavier than others in the same bin to increase or decrease the possibility of that ball being attracted or blown into the exit chute. But, for most lottery aficionados, it's a better alternative than RNGs.

gl

j

thats  correct   in  Penna.  people   cheated  with   a  sm.  drop  of  water  on  each   ball   set ,........except   the   6's  thus  came   666   which   the   crooked   state   offical  had  $$5,000  dollars  betted;  

tnwinner

It is time to ask for the removal of the head honcho  of the tennessee lottery Rebecca Paul. They ran her off in South Carolina, It is time to run her out of Tennessee.

Lee123

They also ran her out of Ga. too. I don't think that I want to play TENN. LOTTERY

ToadSchmode's avatarToadSchmode

Quote: Originally posted by johnph77 on Sep 2, 2007

Unfortunately, ball drawings can be rigged as well. Individual balls can be fractionally larger, smaller, lighter and/or heavier than others in the same bin to increase or decrease the possibility of that ball being attracted or blown into the exit chute. But, for most lottery aficionados, it's a better alternative than RNGs.

gl

j

"THE PLAYERS PREFER BALL DRAWS" and that is what "SHOULD MATTER"  The draws can be viewed,  video taped and analyze by 1000's of players.  Much more difficult to rig.

With RNG's the numbers are flashed across the TV screen. I don't think i've ever seen the RNG computer spit out the numbers.

computerhead723's avatarcomputerhead723

Quote: Originally posted by Lee123 on Sep 3, 2007

They also ran her out of Ga. too. I don't think that I want to play TENN. LOTTERY

tennessee lottery Rebecca Paul. ....how  is   this   person   able  to  get   so   many   top   positions  in   3  different   states  ??/She   must   have  some   connections???   is   she   cute???

Todd's avatarTodd

Quote: Originally posted by computerhead723 on Sep 4, 2007

tennessee lottery Rebecca Paul. ....how  is   this   person   able  to  get   so   many   top   positions  in   3  different   states  ??/She   must   have  some   connections???   is   she   cute???

This story has a pic.

psykomo's avatarpsykomo

Quote: Originally posted by Todd on Sep 6, 2007

This story has a pic.

Thank YOU Todd>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

for provid'ng information to ALL member's of LOTTERY POST^^^^^

Many of the members of this LP actually LIKE & support a LOT of ^

the lotteries ALL over the USA>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

ALL will AGREE^^

KEEP it HONEST>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

KEEP it SO WE can SEE and investigate with a smell, a touch or a

plain VISUAL of what's HAPPEN'g before OUR EYE's>>>>>>>>>>

DON't put the draw's in a dark ROOM somewhere???????????????

who can AUDIT (THAT?)

LOL^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^TO>>>>>>>UUUUUUU & LP^^^^

Uncle Jim

BUMP!

Where are we on this boys and girls?  I realize that good old Bunky is the hot topic of conversation but we can't let this die!

Are we just going to vent and then go back to business as usual?  This is our best and maybe last chance to do something about RNG's.  Let's not squander it.  Keep the pressure up.

Anyone have any updates on Ms. Hargrove or the investigation?

Jim 

four4me

Quote: Originally posted by Uncle Jim on Sep 7, 2007

BUMP!

Where are we on this boys and girls?  I realize that good old Bunky is the hot topic of conversation but we can't let this die!

Are we just going to vent and then go back to business as usual?  This is our best and maybe last chance to do something about RNG's.  Let's not squander it.  Keep the pressure up.

Anyone have any updates on Ms. Hargrove or the investigation?

Jim 

Over the last few weeks i have went to the tennessean.com web site and used the search feature about the lottery happenings and read many of the comments there as well and i get the feeling that the overall majority doesn't know the difference from ball drawings to RNG drawing and many didn't even know it happened. Lots of folks seem disappointed that Rebecca makes to much money. Some people are disappointed about them changing draw types but i don't get a sense that they are on bit motivated to do something about it. At least not from the comments i read at the Tennessean.

Since the money generated by the lottery goes to the education board and the education moneys are distributed through the comptrollers office then their office is probably the best place to start the furor. Possibly getting them to take it to a higher authority.

Maybe if someone has connections and can get as much information as possible together about all this and send it to CNN it will get national coverage. Time is running out though as the story is getting old and Rebecca has settled into here comphy chair back at lottery HQ.

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