"Taping" in advance & Conspiracy Theories

Reply #42

NoCompLotto! — Wed, 09 Nov 2005 03:05:27 GMT

I sincerely hope this is not about me and this story...Let me re-iterate the 2nd line of my story: What if, AND I STRESS IF, The PB/MM drawings were taped in advance? This was a QUESTION, and I am not suggesting it is currently in practice (though I wouldn't doubt it if it was).

Reply #41

NoCompLotto! — Tue, 08 Nov 2005 23:31:40 GMT

Just imagine if tonight, someone from one of the member lotteries read this post and decided to try it...Even if we thought about catching them on it (if they did), they would probably deny it just as they would do in the article.Throw this forum at the media and there goes the scandal.

Reply #40

JADELottery — Tue, 08 Nov 2005 22:07:40 GMT

i have a few screws loose, but i still have them.i haven't had time to tighten them, been too busy trying to put that square peg in the round hole.

Reply #39

Todd — Tue, 08 Nov 2005 19:42:34 GMT

To be honest, I have no idea who you're dissing.

Reply #38

JADELottery — Tue, 08 Nov 2005 18:46:07 GMT

Ah-yeeah, you go ahead and keep on telling me that.

Reply #37

Chewie — Tue, 08 Nov 2005 16:29:31 GMT

He said, as he pulled on the rip-cord and realized Superman was a comic book.

Reply #36

JADELottery — Tue, 08 Nov 2005 05:50:46 GMT

If you think about something long enough, eventually you'll find some logical argument to support your viewpoint.Some would call it a self reinforcing delusion, because not everyone will share the same logic.There is one person in this world that can convince you anything is true; yourself.It is not always good to believe in yourself.

Reply #35

Todd — Tue, 08 Nov 2005 05:27:39 GMT

No, I don't think I'm given to baseless paranoia as you ignorantly say. Ignorant would be a good way to describe your short-sighted view on this, which is a sign that you may not have been around the block as far as lotteries are concerned. Either too young or too inexperienced. Probably both.You want to accuse me of baseless paranoia ? Then you better be prepared for me to spell out your inadequacies. I don't take kindly to insults. Also interesting how you didn't quote my whole messa... [ More ]

Reply #34

jeti — Tue, 08 Nov 2005 04:24:08 GMT

Keep in mind there is no programing to the individual terminals its all served from the main server. This weeks QP numbers are easily entered into the- selection field- of random numbers generated out at the terminals- excluding- those that complete a JP winner for that draw order.Only partial wins are ever allowed until they want a winner. As for fixing the draw and not the data base defeats the purpose for manipulating the retail outlets favoring hot/cold areas were sales volumes can be incr... [ More ]

Reply #33

jonathan — Mon, 07 Nov 2005 20:58:38 GMT

I shouldn't post before having my morning caffeine... did I say Powerball had on average 500,000 players? That's closer to the number of average prize winners... I emailed MUSL to ask for average sales. They said it varies from drawing to drawing anywhere from 12 million to 200 million tickets, and around 2 billion a year. Going back to a birthdayish problem scenario and trying to see when given 'n' random picks (including the pick the machine makes), what are the odds of there being a match to... [ More ]

Reply #32

NoCompLotto! — Mon, 07 Nov 2005 19:41:53 GMT

Jim:You are quite welcome... this is involving my thought process as well.. As for the employment issue (off-topic, I know)... Ford Motor Company pays LOTS more than Taco Bell would dream of, So I'll be staying with Ford for a long time.You are correct in saying that I've touched nerves... apparently more than one.Oh well, off to work :-0

Reply #31

NoCompLotto! — Mon, 07 Nov 2005 19:37:43 GMT

But you also don't know what's going on inside the black box as well. Computerized drawings take the suspense thrill out of a big win. If you don't have that, then why play

Reply #30

jonathan — Mon, 07 Nov 2005 17:08:59 GMT

Quote: Originally posted by Todd on November 7, 2005 Everything you say is just great, up until your point about computerized lottery drawings. There is no comparison there.Actually I take back what I said about the birthday problem. That concept defines how many tickets would have to be sold to guarantee two of the draws matched, but not necessarily matching the winning draw. Rigth gist, wrong concept.And to clarify This goes too for people opposed to computerized lotteries. If you're oppose... [ More ]

Reply #29

jim695 — Mon, 07 Nov 2005 17:01:53 GMT

I agree completely, Todd (not exactly a news flash); any lottery drawn digitally is no longer a lottery, just as a digital Kentucky Derby would no longer be a horse race.How would we feel if we walked up to the blackjack table in our favorite casino but, instead of a deck of cards, we found a laptop computer at each station? Would you sit at the hundred dollar table, or head for one with a lower limit?Essentially, these lotteries are nothing more than cheap video games, and the public would be b... [ More ]

Reply #28

sirbrad — Mon, 07 Nov 2005 16:56:36 GMT

How do they know the numbers ahead of the draw? Its how they load the matrix of balls that drop into the turning chamber-that spinning drum is more predictable than anyone realizes all it takes is loading the balls in a selected organized way so that when they drop a range of prediction is fairly certain.I am not sure I buy into that theory. I have experimented myself many times by loading my own custom ball machines I made with a variety of different combinations, both in numerical order, and

Reply #27

Todd — Mon, 07 Nov 2005 16:33:36 GMT

Jonathan,Everything you say is just great, up until your point about computerized lottery drawings. There is no comparison there.People who oppose computerized drawings are NOT the same bunch who think the entire lottery is a conspiracy. People who oppose computerized drawings are a majority of players, and we include experts in the field of computers (such as myself). We know that there are many good reasons for completely eliminating computers from the drawings, and keeping traditional mech... [ More ]

Reply #26

jim695 — Mon, 07 Nov 2005 16:23:08 GMT

NCL:Not to get too far off-topic, I know that PepsiCo treats their managers very well. Sadly, the same cannot be said of those prefaced with assistant. Hang in there; you could end up making more money from your second job than you do with your primary employer.The fact that this discussion has garnered the interest it has would suggest that many of us have similar thoughts and concerns. You've obviously touched a nerve somewhere, and provoked some deep, analytical thoughts (as well as some ig... [ More ]

Reply #25

jonathan — Mon, 07 Nov 2005 16:10:03 GMT

I agree completely. If they want to make it even harder to win powerball all they need to do is add a couple of extra balls to the mix. Translate the 'birthday problem' into powerball terms, use the average ticket sales figure in lieu of 'people in the room' and the number of possible draws as 'birthdays'. I'm guessing the average ticket sales put the odds of one of the draws matching the jackpot-winning draw somewhere in the neighborhood of 33% of the time. This would guarantee some roll-overs... [ More ]

Reply #24

NoCompLotto! — Mon, 07 Nov 2005 14:55:54 GMT

Jim695 says:While the initial scenario outlined by NoCompLotto is certainly possible, given the right circumstances, I don't think he's (my apologies if my assumption is incorrect) suggesting it's happening now. Rather, he's asking how his fellow members would feel about a PowerBall or MegaMillions drawing taped well in advance of the actual game time. To my knowledge, both games still use mechanical draw machines, but if the current propensity toward digital lotteries continues to grow unabated... [ More ]

Reply #23

Chewie — Mon, 07 Nov 2005 14:48:52 GMT

Greed is a very powerful motivatorAlso overshadowed by envy

Reply #22

jim695 — Mon, 07 Nov 2005 14:25:21 GMT

TheGameGrl says: There is a reason that skepticism exist, it keeps some folks grounded. Its plausible to conceive and venture on the realm of possibilities. I agree.Public skepticism is probably the most powerful deterrent to corruption in the Big Games but, unless they move these drawings to Indiana, we shouldn't worry about it too much. While the initial scenario outlined by NoCompLotto is certainly possible, given the right circumstances, I don't think he's (my apologies if my assumption is... [ More ]

Reply #21

Chewie — Mon, 07 Nov 2005 14:16:38 GMT

Your second paragraph is contradicted by your third paragraph. Your cheating skills need lots of work. First they fix the possible numbers, and down load a database? Why? Just fix the number combination to start with. Lotta work for two guys. Programming a couple of million machines each and every draw. Who is doing the software changes each time? The grandson of Lee Harvey Oswald, or a group of disgruntled Cubans in the outskirts of Miami

Reply #20

jeti — Mon, 07 Nov 2005 09:46:26 GMT

I did a little research on the current auditor on MM and they were indicted by the US government(AND FOUND GULITY!!!) a few years back just like Author Andersen-remember them-but were allowed to stay in business because shutting them down would cause more harm than good.So yes positively no bull this same firm audits the MM right NOW!!!My guess is they know the numbers ahead of each draw and -yes it gets worst-they send out winning numbers on the lower wins to select terminals to give select wi... [ More ]

Reply #19

TheGameGrl — Wed, 19 Oct 2005 01:03:12 GMT

There is a reason that skepticism exist, it keeps some folks grounded. Its plausible to conceive and venture on the realm of possibilities. I have pondered the theory more on a geographical level. More like the commission knows in advance which *machine* will spew the winning ticket. So all the other states just promote for revenue. Meanwhile some cute little rural town that had been hit by a bad crop that year gets a sole winner! Thereby they get the fifteen minutes of fame along with a good ol... [ More ]

Reply #18

NoCompLotto! — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 23:27:54 GMT

And like I said before, I also don't think they're rigged... I know the odds are stacked WAY against you.

Reply #17

NoCompLotto! — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 23:26:07 GMT

I guess that someone could do that, but all the lottery would have to say is that for the preservation of financial integrity, limits are placed on certain bets when the number of bets reaches a maximum threshold. It's all they have to do to cover their a$$es, and there's nothing the media could do about it, unless someone did some serious investigating.Lottery machines can be programmed to do whatever the lottery wants them to do. If it's rejecting bet slips, limiting certain numbers, what ha... [ More ]

Reply #16

lchoro — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 20:31:06 GMT

The problem with your conspiracy scenario is that someone would eventually go to the media with a rejected payslip and cause the scandal to blow up. The scenario would also require the lottery software download the winning numbers from the host. My guess is that they're programmed only to send the customers' bets up to the hosts and to receive updated software only.The more plausibile, yet far-fetched, conspiracy scenario is that the computerized drawings are programmed to examine the database... [ More ]

Reply #15

Chewie — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 20:11:09 GMT

Enough with the simple solutions! Keep it complicated

Reply #14

Todd — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 19:30:45 GMT

Ding-ding-ding! That's the answer we've been looking for -- 100% correct

Reply #13

Chewie — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 19:26:20 GMT

I often wonder, if the grassy knoll had been filled in with concrete the year before, would we call it the concrete knoll? Of would Kennedy be alive, because concrete hurts to lay on? Of would the sun, reflecting off the concrete have cause the film to over expose?Was Mary really pregnant, or was it an adoption scam to get jewels from the three wise men? Would it have worked it is was a cloudy night? What would have happened, had the stable not had a window for the lantern to shine through? Woul... [ More ]

Reply #12

bellyache — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 18:37:58 GMT

I don't think it's rigged. Just because most people here haven't won a jackpot, doesn't mean that something criminal is going on. It means that the odds are against you for winning.

Reply #11

NoCompLotto! — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 18:30:23 GMT

I know it doesn't have to be rigged to produce huge JPs, it was just a thought that randomly (no pun intended) occured in my always-thinking-pessimisticly head.As for computerized drawings, all you have to do is look at my alias (or my signature) to see where I stand.

Reply #10

HiFi — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 18:10:08 GMT

you think they need to rig it so the jackpot rolls over? look at the odds to win that thing something like 176 million to 1. they built the game to be so hard to win so that it does generate huge jackpots. nobody has to rig it.

Reply #9

sirbrad — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 17:54:50 GMT

I also at times believe it is fixed, until I win of one day of course. I don't think they would risk it though, because it could cost them more in lawsuits than any powerball jackpot ever was, if the wrong people found out.

Reply #8

dvdiva — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 17:47:47 GMT

If you are so worried about fake drawings then support the elimination of computerized drawings. If PB were computer drawn you would have no idea how the numbers were chosen or if it was honest. It's far easier to cheat if the method of choosing numbers is an unknown.

Reply #7

pacattack05 — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 17:14:47 GMT

Yep! I'm one of those people. When I was a kid, I saw that movie with my dad on a plane to England.I've spent a hundred hours or so on this topic, and being the skeptical kind, I found overwhelming evidence that shows deception. Afterall, in wouldn't be the first or last time our government has lied to us.Don't believe me. Do the research yourself.http://216.26.168.193/moonmovie/store.aspOut of all the info I've sifted through, the above link has been the most convincing of all.Look at the video... [ More ]

Reply #6

BaristaExpress — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 14:12:28 GMT

I even think the games are rigged (at times, but not often). So lets face it the games are not rigged and for them to do so would be so hard it wouldn't even be funny! The auditors (all of them) would have to be in on it from the start to finish (like the Pennsylvania scandal was way back when). Besides I would hope that the lottery has learned from others mistakes (like Pennsylvania's) about not having just a few auditors doing the job of auditing by having each auditors name in a pool and draw... [ More ]

Reply #5

Littlemanjen — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 13:38:36 GMT

I actually know Glen Burns, the guy that draws the Mega Millions here in Atlanta. He is the local weather man for WSB television. He lives in my neighborhood in Roswell, GA and he has said the security for Mega Millions is amazing. I'll get more details when we go fishing together again.

Reply #4

Atomic Dog — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 13:28:32 GMT

Yeah ... just like there were independent auditors monitoring ENRON for years! Look what happened there.Unfortunately, people in HIGH places are the biggest scam artists on Earth and I wouldn't doubt for a second that PB and MM are prerecorded and the numbers fixed. Good Luck,John

Reply #3

JAG331 — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 13:17:39 GMT

Then, someone comes along with the numbers that aren't supposed to be played. The programmers have thought about this, so they tell the terminal to reject the bet slip, or even the manual entry, as a means of preserving financial integrity by limiting the bets that can be placed on a certain set of numbers. The player gets frustrated, but still wanting to play, they play their numbers again, this time without the mega number they wanted, or get QP's instead. I've never heard of a bet being r... [ More ]

Reply #2

Todd — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 10:21:04 GMT

Kind of like Capricorn One. (Anyone remember that movie?) There are still people around who think the moon landings were faked also.

Reply #1

pacattack05 — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 07:51:24 GMT

It's impossible for any trickery, due to the fact that every drawing has independent auditors present to monitor them.

"Taping" in advance & Conspiracy Theories

NoCompLotto! — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 05:23:56 GMT

This question comes to mind every time a jackpot gets extraordinarily high.What if, and I stress IF , the PB/MM drawings were taped in advance?For example:The jackpot is at $250M. Lottery directors hope it rolls over for a bigger JP. Most players hope they hit it, but a few want it to roll, even though they got their numbers, too (they're playing for secondary prizes).Drawing Time (i.e., MM, Tue., 11pm EST) occurs. This drawing is live. After it is finished certified, the normal computer chec... [ More ]