Here is the letter I sent to the MO Lottery Office via e-mail the other day.
I read an article the other day about MO lottery sales being down. If
that is the case, then I thought I would give you a clue as to why this
is. It is the computerized drawings. I know several (long time, loyal)
players who quit playing when you went to computerized drawings, me
included. I have spent as much a $20 dollars a day in the past on the lottery.
But ever since you have started the very untrustworthy and non-random computer
drawings, I have spent around $20 dollars total since July of last year
when all this started. It will only get worse. You may want to consider
going back to the ball drawings, that is the only way you will ever
recover what you have lost. By the way, there is a movement countrywide
and a petition started to ban the use of computers for drawings. It is
based on the ease of manipulation and such. I thought you should know.
Good Luck, I think you are going to need it....
Here is the response I received.
Dear Bryan,
Thank you for your interest in the Missouri Lottery. We appreciate
hearing from our players with their remarks and concerns.
The integrity of the Missouri Lottery is of the utmost importance to
us, so I would like to take this opportunity to provide you with
additional information.
Regarding pre-Certification, the Lottery's new draw system has
undergone numerous independent tests and certifications to guarantee
randomness. Dr. Paul Speckman, a professor of statistics at the
University of Missouri, conducted a "Die Hard" test on the
Lottery's new Random Number Generator (RNG) hardware. The "Die
Hard" test ran 80 million bits (over 2 million numbers) through a
suite of different statistical tests. The tests verified that the RNG
hardware produced valid random numbers for the Pick 3, Pick 4, Show Me 5
Paydown and Lotto games.
In addition, Gaming Laboratories International (GLI), an independent
testing lab for gaming regulators, certified the Lottery's new Online
Daily Draw System (ODDS) software, RNG hardware, draw procedures as well
as the physical security of the new draw room. GLI ran tests on both
the ODDS system and RNG hardware to ensure that no malice had occurred
in either program and both were random.
Randomness begins with the selection of which the Automated Draw System
(ADM) computer will be used for each drawing. There are three
independent ADM labeled A, B and C. There is a 1 in 3 chance of
selection for each ADM. In most cases the same machine is not used in
both daily drawings.
Before each draw, Chi-squared pretests are conducted by the draw
manager and independent auditor to ensure the random number generator is
working properly. These tests are run before each the draw begins. For
Pick 3 and 4 one number of 0 to 9 is drawn 37,000 different times. The
Chi-squared value of this test has to lie within a specific
predetermined statistical range for the test to pass. If the value does
not fall within that specific range the draw team moves to the alternate
ADM.
For Show Me 5 Paydown one number of 1 to 44 is drawn 237,870 different
times, and for Lotto one number of 1 to 44 is drawn 237,600 different
times. For both Show Me 5 Paydown and Lotto it is taken into account a
correction for games without number replacement. The Chi-squared test
encompasses a large statistical range in order to ensure that the RNG is
random 99.99% of the time thus meaning a likely distribution of numbers
over the game matrix.
The Lottery's Security Division along with the draw manager and IT
administrator conducts additional monthly RNG Meter tests to ensure
system randomness over time. There are three different tests that are
used to assure the randomness of the RNG Meter and each ADM. Should an
individual ADM fail, further tests are conducted to determine if the ADM
should be removed from the rotation.
I hope that this information will be of some help for you with your
concerns regarding the drawings.
Sincerely,
Lynda
Customer Care Unit