Missouri Lottery Ignites Controversy with Computerized Drawings

Comment #26

CASH Only — Thu, 12 Aug 2004 22:30:30 GMT

Wow...28 comments (including this one).

Comment #25

Bryan — Sat, 24 Jul 2004 09:32:04 GMT

Oddly enough, I can't find the promo details you are referring to. I even clicked the link you provided. It said, it was a dead link...hmmm? They have used the orange ball method to boost sales before when things got a little slow for the P3. And considering the letter MO lottery sent to me the other day they will have to use the ball machines to have a second drawing. According to that letter the programming of the new computerized drawing system only allows one draw per day per game. It is one... [ More ]

Comment #24

BobP — Sat, 24 Jul 2004 07:49:22 GMT

Interesting the offending press release seems to have vanished off the Missouri lottery web site. They now have this which makes it sound like they are continuing regular type draws, but I suspect it's a trick to wean players off the normal draw with real balls instead of the computerized fake drawing. Pick 3 tickets will be in high demand starting Monday, July 26. To kick off the new midday drawings, the Missouri Lottery will run a four-week Pick 3 Midday Bonus Numbers Promotion, in which midd... [ More ]

Comment #23

Todd — Sat, 24 Jul 2004 06:06:55 GMT

Quote: O

Comment #22

CalifDude — Sat, 24 Jul 2004 05:09:38 GMT

Jim695,I bet all the money I have that the Cubbies won't win the Super Bowl. Baseball teams don't play in the Super Bowl

Comment #21

Bryan — Sat, 24 Jul 2004 03:19:48 GMT

What MO wasn't telling any

Comment #20

jim695 — Fri, 23 Jul 2004 22:57:25 GMT

Funny thing is, most states' midday drawings generate zero revenue, and are actually loss leaders.In Indiana, for example, the midday Pick-3 game makes only 5% of what the evening game brings in. The same figures hold true for their Daily-4 midday game vs. the evening game, so they're actually losing money on both of these midday draws, if you use the figures from their annual report.When a state changes its drawing format, they can safely add a midday drawing since the practice draws will essen... [ More ]

Comment #19

Rick G — Fri, 23 Jul 2004 17:35:51 GMT

Jim, very good post.Thank you.Bryan, I hadn't heard of the gas gizmo, but it just goes to show how electonic things can easily be manipulated.Public safety officials in IL designed a system for changing stop lights to green for their progress to an emergency. Now common folks own these things just because they're in a hurry to get soewhere. Hope the poor souls needing the medical sevice don't suffer from this selfishness.Good luck in MO, Bryan, and like Jim said, fight it tooth and nail or qui... [ More ]

Comment #18

Bryan — Fri, 23 Jul 2004 03:59:13 GMT

Jim, we are adding a midday

Comment #17

jim695 — Thu, 22 Jul 2004 19:34:06 GMT

Residents of Big Mo should watch for an upcoming announcement stating that live drawings will no longer be broadcast due to lack of player interest. That's how it happened in Indiana, except that Indiana actually downloaded their RNG from a public site on the internet.Security for these machines is considerably less bulletproof than for the ball machines. In my home state, one of our official draw machines is actually housed at one of the Hoosier Lottery's vendors, Scientific Games, Inc. Oddly,... [ More ]

Comment #16

Joy2 — Thu, 22 Jul 2004 10:46:58 GMT

Ball machines have been good enough for the last 30 years or so, so why the heck do they seem so determined to switch to computerized drawings? The lottery officials must think they are going to make the game more difficult to win or they would not even mess with it. Lottery officials are DIRTY people! The job that they have is too make sure that nobody wins the game. I'm sure they think they are screwing us over somehow! Somebody needs to write a letter to president Bush, maybe he can do so... [ More ]

Comment #15

LosingJeff — Thu, 22 Jul 2004 09:00:08 GMT

GO RICK! You hit it on th

Comment #14

Rick G — Wed, 21 Jul 2004 23:28:06 GMT

PS....What happens when we go to computerized elections? There are over 250 new viruses detected each month on the internet. Who's the boss here?...the lame-brain hackers who get off on ruining your $1000 computer investment and/or discount your important vote, or those of us who wish to fight for our democratic right to vote for our candidate in a fair and accurate manner?I'll pull my chads off cleanly so my vote gets counted....and if it doesn't get counted or goes computerized , I'm takin... [ More ]

Comment #13

Rick G — Wed, 21 Jul 2004 23:17:17 GMT

There is so much inherent fraud that can accompany computer generated lottery picks, that I will quit playing the game if IL decides to go this route and go back to collecting stamps and coins....at least they are a relatively honest hobby.To my IL buds, if this happens here, I'm gone and it won't be because of computer problems.Take heed, lotto directors...we don't want your fraudulent approaches to what once was a decent game, even though you take 50% of the proceeds for education....(by the... [ More ]

Comment #12

Todd — Wed, 21 Jul 2004 22:29:07 GMT

John, you're right. In the same vein, if a bunch of NASA rocket scientists can send a probe all the way to Mars and then make a rounding error that sends the probe crashing into the planet, don't you think a couple of government lottery programmers can make a bug or two (or a security hole)?BTW, absolutely no offense is intended to any government computer programmers - it's definitely not a cut on you, it's a cut on the decision to drop the ball machines.

Comment #11

vincejr — Wed, 21 Jul 2004 22:17:10 GMT

Coffee? I didn't get no st

Comment #10

ducksafloat — Wed, 21 Jul 2004 20:55:19 GMT

Hey Todd,Again I s

Comment #9

MetroPlex — Wed, 21 Jul 2004 20:09:31 GMT

Quote

Comment #8

Todd — Wed, 21 Jul 2004 20:03:52 GMT

Quote: O

Comment #7

Todd — Wed, 21 Jul 2004 20:02:54 GMT

Quote: O

Comment #6

MetroPlex — Wed, 21 Jul 2004 19:56:24 GMT

Computers cannot be trusted.MP

Comment #5

golotto — Wed, 21 Jul 2004 19:52:48 GMT

Convenience, enhanced security, and cost savings says the Missouri Lottery. Convenience possibly, but in the long run as far as security and the claim of overall cost savings considering those who will probably go elsewhere with their lottery dollars after the switch...I'd say 'nein weise' no way to both. Additionally, I wonder how much that new animated three-dimensional number display system will cost the lottery? Keep the mechancial drawing machines and the numbered drawing balls... [ More ]

Comment #4

CASH Only — Wed, 21 Jul 2004 19:38:27 GMT

Bring back the balls

Comment #3

Todd — Wed, 21 Jul 2004 17:11:13 GMT

I have personally hacked into computers that are not connected to anything. Once you gain physical access to a computer it's easy. And I'm sure you don't think that the Missouri Lottery has security as good as Fort Knox.At least with ballsets, you can physically audit the balls and machines without being a rocket scientist. However, if someone were to alter the computer code, it could stay hidden for months or years.

Comment #2

CalifDude — Wed, 21 Jul 2004 14:51:21 GMT

People always think of computers as things that are connected to the internet, so they are worried about hackers getting into the program. The computers are NOT connected to anywhere outside the room they are in. There isn't even a telephone line in the room!!California does the Daily 3 (twice a day) and the Fantasy 5 (once a day) using computers in the same manner as Missouri. I agree 100% that the computer can not pick truly random numbers. This is a long-running discussion (argument??) in... [ More ]

Comment #1

CASH Only — Wed, 21 Jul 2004 14:21:24 GMT

Hot Lotto (not available in Missouri) draws numbered balls.

Missouri Lottery Ignites Controversy with Computerized Drawings

Lottery Post — Wed, 21 Jul 2004 14:15:15 GMT

Lottery Post ExclusiveFalling in lockstep with a controversial industry trend, the Missouri Lottery decided to change its lottery drawings from mechanical lottery ball machines to a random number generator computer system.Opponents of the computerized drawings say that computers cannot achieve the true randomness of a physical drawing mechanism, mainly due to computers' inherent non-random properties.In addition, with computer hacking, viruses, and tampering on the rise, concerned citizens worry... [ More ]