Lawmaker eyes legislation to get rid of computer draws
'The integrity of our lottery drawings has been compromised in the minds of lottery players.'
One Tennessee state legislator could step into the latest Tennessee Lottery controversy, and solve it with one stroke of the pen.
House Minority Leader Jason Mumpower is looking to introduce legislation that would rid the lottery of computerized drawings.
He wants the drawings back to how they were, before the Tennessee Lottery switched to a computerized drawing.
Customers seem to universally agree.
One said, "Just go back to your balls."
That sentiment is echoed in each interview and message board posting on Lottery Post (https://www.lotterypost.com/), as well as comments made on local news media web sites throughout Tennessee.
"The integrity of our lottery drawings has been compromised in the minds of lottery players," said Mumpower who is ready to introduce legislation proposing changes to the current system.
He said the education of Tennessee's kids makes the measure necessary.
Mumpower said, "Of course that means it affects our scholarship system. If people don't feel like they can trust the lottery, they won't play."
A call for an overhaul is coming because of three major mistakes in just one month; the first in August when a computer glitch caused problems with the Lottery's Cash 3 and Cash 4 drawlings.
A few weeks later, the wrong jackpot was printed on Lottery tickets.
A little more than a week after that incident, the wrong numbers for Cash 3 and Cash 4 were televised.
In between, several other minor errors occured that shook consumer confidence in the lottery. For example, the lottery published an adult chat line phone number on lottery marketing materials instead of the lottery's toll-free phone number.
Lora Aguilard works at Nashville Discount Tobacco.
She said, "I have some customers that play it religiously, they were playing $40 a day, they're playing $3 now."
Aguilard said the solution is simple, get rid of the computer.
"Everybody believes we should go back to dropping the balls," she told News 2.
Mumpower agrees, but said something needs to be done before too many decide to try their luck elsewhere.
He plans to introduce legislation early next year.
Mumpower Files Legislation To Change Lottery Drawing Procedure
The Chattanoogan
House Minority Leader Jason Mumpower (R-Bristol) announced Monday that he will file legislation in the next session of the 105th General Assembly to propose changes to the way the lottery numbers are drawn in Tennessee. Rep. Mumpower's announcement follows months of public scrutiny after the Tennessee Lottery went from using numbered balls to computer generated numbers for lottery picks.
"The integrity of the system has been compromised by a number of glitches the new computer system has experienced," stated Rep. Mumpower, who sits on the lottery oversight committee. "We use the money generated from the lottery to send Tennessee's graduates on to higher education. In order for people to have full confidence in the system and buy tickets, the system needs to change."
Beyond implementation of the new computer generated numbers, the lottery has spent over $25,000 in additional payouts due to the recent glitches. The state also recently paid $80,000 for an outside auditor after the computer issue, but later reports clarified that the auditor will not be examining the computer system glitches. The auditor has only been asked to determine whether or not the computers are working properly.
"If it's not addressing the problem, then why is the state spending $80,000?" Rep. Mumpower commented of the audit. "The one thing they should be auditing, they aren't. It's a complete waste of money to audit everything except for the problem."
Rep. Mumpower's legislation stipulates that "only lottery games operated by the Tennessee lottery corporation shall be those in which winners are selected or determined through a random drawing using numbered balls."
"Being that the lottery is voluntary and funds our scholarship program, it offsets government expenses. The last thing we want is for it to fail, so that some politician down the road can justify a tax increase. If we expect people to buy tickets, we need to fix these problems," Rep. Mumpower concluded.
Hey all you Lottery Post members who have been posting messages of support, writing to the lottery, calling your reps, and spreading the word, this is what a difference you all made ... and will continue to make.
This is what we can accomplish!
Let's not count our chickens before they're hatched, but this is a BIG STEP. Now is the time to NOT get complacent. Continue telling people about the awful computerized drawings the Tennessee stuck you with!
A call for an overhaul is coming because of three major mistakes in just one month; the first in August when a computer glitch caused problems with the Lottery's Cash 3 and Cash 4 drawlings.
A few weeks later, the wrong jackpot was printed on Lottery tickets.
A little more than a week after that incident, the wrong numbers for Cash 3 and Cash 4 were televised.
===================
Now the first item above is definitely a problem with RNG. But what do the second two have to do with using RNG? They are more the result of a Lottery Commission that is incompetent. The same two problems would occur whether or not TN was using RNG. Seems like going back to mechanical drawings is a way of deflecting attention away from an incompetent department in the state of TN ; a typical political move that politicians use routinely on many matters.
A call for an overhaul is coming because of three major mistakes in just one month; the first in August when a computer glitch caused problems with the Lottery's Cash 3 and Cash 4 drawlings.
A few weeks later, the wrong jackpot was printed on Lottery tickets.
A little more than a week after that incident, the wrong numbers for Cash 3 and Cash 4 were televised.
===================
Now the first item above is definitely a problem with RNG. But what do the second two have to do with using RNG? They are more the result of a Lottery Commission that is incompetent. The same two problems would occur whether or not TN was using RNG. Seems like going back to mechanical drawings is a way of deflecting attention away from an incompetent department in the state of TN ; a typical political move that politicians use routinely on many matters.
Computers are used to print the tickets and a computer is used for the televised draw. The giving out a Adult Chat number was a Lottery Commission being incompetent.
KyMystikal makes a good point. The ATM you pull cash out of is a computer, computers tally your cost at the grocery store. We rely on machines for most everything any more.
Quote: Originally posted by KyMystikal on Oct 9, 2007
Computers are used to print the tickets and a computer is used for the televised draw. The giving out a Adult Chat number was a Lottery Commission being incompetent.
Incompetent, exactly. But these same two things could have happened if the drawings were mechanical rather than RNG. The point is that they have incompetent people there on the TN LC. People want them to go back to mechanical drawings, yes. But only the first problem has anything to do with RNG drawings. The other two are incompetence. They need to clean house on some of their employees. It isn't as if you need to be a rocket scientist to hold those jobs. You only need to pay attention to detail. If they don't get rid of the incompetent people, even if they go back to mechanical drawings, they will continue to have problems that show up in headlines. Hire people to replace them that have more than a 100 IQ. There are plenty of them out there that would be happy to have such an easy job.
Quote: Originally posted by Captain Lotto on Oct 9, 2007
KyMystikal makes a good point. The ATM you pull cash out of is a computer, computers tally your cost at the grocery store. We rely on machines for most everything any more.
Computers aren't the problem...
Yes, and you aren't going to eliminate them from Lotto. If they had to tally (check for) winning tickets by hand, there would be no lottery. But the point is you are not taking the computers out of the equation. They will always be a part of the lottery. Now you can change to mechanical drawings again, and that's fine. But you will still be having problems like the second two if you have incompetent employees...because those two problems having nothing to do with how the numbers are drawn.
Hey all you Lottery Post members who have been posting messages of support, writing to the lottery, calling your reps, and spreading the word, this is what a difference you all made ... and will continue to make.
This is what we can accomplish!
Let's not count our chickens before they're hatched, but this is a BIG STEP. Now is the time to NOT get complacent. Continue telling people about the awful computerized drawings the Tennessee stuck you with!
Outstanding news. Click the link and click play to load the video.
http://www.wkrn.com/nashville/news/legislation-would-stop-computerized-lottery-drawings/122416.htm#top
Keep working this one people.
Looks like you're doing a great job down there in Tennessee.
Call your family, call your friends and most important... call your government and let them know.
Thanks Todd ! I love it !
Bob
Now thats the best news I've heard about this yet. Keep the pressure on players......! Good infomation.
i'll never spend another dollar until they bring back balls to tennessee.
computerized draws are cheating players.
I will drive to Tennessee and play Tenn. Lottery, if they bring ball draws back!
It should have been stipulated in the original legislation as to how the numbers will be drawn.
A call for an overhaul is coming because of three major mistakes in just one month; the first in August when a computer glitch caused problems with the Lottery's Cash 3 and Cash 4 drawlings.
A few weeks later, the wrong jackpot was printed on Lottery tickets.
A little more than a week after that incident, the wrong numbers for Cash 3 and Cash 4 were televised.
===================
Now the first item above is definitely a problem with RNG. But what do the second two have to do with using RNG? They are more the result of a Lottery Commission that is incompetent. The same two problems would occur whether or not TN was using RNG. Seems like going back to mechanical drawings is a way of deflecting attention away from an incompetent department in the state of TN ; a typical political move that politicians use routinely on many matters.
Computers are used to print the tickets and a computer is used for the televised draw. The giving out a Adult Chat number was a Lottery Commission being incompetent.
KyMystikal makes a good point. The ATM you pull cash out of is a computer, computers tally your cost at the grocery store. We rely on machines for most everything any more.
Computers aren't the problem...
Incompetent, exactly. But these same two things could have happened if the drawings were mechanical rather than RNG. The point is that they have incompetent people there on the TN LC. People want them to go back to mechanical drawings, yes. But only the first problem has anything to do with RNG drawings. The other two are incompetence. They need to clean house on some of their employees. It isn't as if you need to be a rocket scientist to hold those jobs. You only need to pay attention to detail. If they don't get rid of the incompetent people, even if they go back to mechanical drawings, they will continue to have problems that show up in headlines. Hire people to replace them that have more than a 100 IQ. There are plenty of them out there that would be happy to have such an easy job.
Yes, and you aren't going to eliminate them from Lotto. If they had to tally (check for) winning tickets by hand, there would be no lottery. But the point is you are not taking the computers out of the equation. They will always be a part of the lottery. Now you can change to mechanical drawings again, and that's fine. But you will still be having problems like the second two if you have incompetent employees...because those two problems having nothing to do with how the numbers are drawn.
"He plans to introduce legislation early next year."
Early next year?! We can't wait that long. We have to strike while this fiasco is still fresh in everybody's minds.