This is a copy of the Q&A:
Terry
Hi, Terry Rich here. I'm CEO of the Iowa Lottery and past president of the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries. Glad to answer the lottery questions you have. Know that all opinions are mine, not those of the state of Iowa, any lottery organization or any other state lottery. We appreciate all lottery players' opinions and look forward to a fun discussion.
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DG1USA
Welcome Mr. Rich! Have you ever played the lottery before getting into the lottery business?
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Terry
Sure. Not very often, but I really liked playing Powerball and an occasional scratch ticket.
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music*
Hello Terry Rich, I would like to thank you for hiring Spokeswoman Mary Neubauer. Is she a VP also?
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Terry
Is Mary writing this? :) Seriously though, she does work at our lottery and does a great job.
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Kyle7824
I have been pretty good at Pick 4 Mr. Rich...
But I have noticed that Sums 1-8 and Sums 28-36 are rarely drawn in NC , why is that?
You guys should have a cash 4 game similar in Iowa thanks ...
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Terry
We do have a Pick 4 game in Iowa and it has grown through the years. I can't speak to what may be occurring with a game in another state, but I'm sure if you would contact that lottery, folks there would be happy to help you. If you're ever in Iowa, you're welcome to play our Pick 4 game.
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gracielott
Hi Terry, Who makes the decision to switch from computerized drawings to ball drawings? Is that a lottery director or does some form of legislation have to be enacted to make the switch?
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Terry
For a multi-state game, all of the lotteries in that game make the decision together. If it is an in-state game, that lottery makes the decisions and rules regarding its own particular game.
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mypiemaster
Good evening Mr Rich and The Chief. Congrats on the Tipton case. Why are the lotteries still using RNG?.
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Terry
RNGs and ball-drawing equipment each have their own vulnerabilities that can be compromised. No system is perfect. RNG machines are easier to maintain and if properly utilized, can provide results that are equally as secure.
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realtorjim
Thanks for being here. Respective of the Tipton case, what prompted inquiry? Was it actually a breach recognition within the system, or a personal reference?
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Terry
From the earliest contact that the Iowa Lottery received regarding the Hot Lotto jackpot that was won with a ticket purchased in Des Moines in December 2010, it was obvious that there was something amiss. The further contacts that the lottery had with those attempting to claim the prize only made that more obvious. We asked for a law enforcement investigation to begin before the claim to the prize was even withdrawn in January 2012. You have seen what has happened since and we continue to urge investigators to follow the facts wherever they may lead.
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duckman
Hi Terry!
I have heard from other state lotteries that two cornerstone ideals of a lottery are (1) to maintain the public trust in the lottery and (2) for winning tickets, ensure that payment goes to the legitimate ticket owner. From recent news events involving the Eddie Tipton case, it seems those ideals are also important to the Iowa Lottery. What additional things can lotteries do to ensure the integrity of the games and maintain the public trust? Are there any law or legislative changes that would help?
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Terry
Those ideals are absolutely important to the Iowa Lottery. It's our job to stay one step ahead of those who would attempt to break the law. We can't speak for other lotteries, but here, we think it's important that we provide for separation of duties and functions within our organization; maintain multiple layers of security; publicly release the names of winners; and work closely with law enforcement if and or when any concerns are identified.
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Stone23
Well Terry I guess as a regular lotto player my concern is what is being done to insure the integrity of the games we play are not manipulated again ever. I think this opens the door to question all games including pick 3 and pick 4 games that a majority of players play pretty regularly.
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Terry
Here's an analogy to consider: If one person is the victim of credit card fraud, should all credit cards be thrown away and/or outlawed? Any equipment that Eddie Tipton programmed or built or even accessed is no longer in use here in Iowa. That is an important consideration for those concerned about game integrity. In addition, we have done our best to be transparent about what has occurred and to address the changes that have been made. If anything, this case is shining a valuable spotlight on the issue of lottery security, and that's a positive thing.
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neurosleep
Terry , what are your thoughts on playing the lottery online?
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Terry
I assume you are referring to lottery purchases being offered by government-authorized lotteries via the Internet? In that instance, it's a matter of social acceptance and political palatability. It's a decision that will be made on a state-by-state basis. We don't currently offer Internet sales here in Iowa, although the lottery is authorized to do so. I believe decisions like that are up to elected officials to decide, with input from the public.
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therams32
Do you think the lottery ever when up 2 a billion dollars
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Terry
I think you're asking whether there would ever be a lottery prize of $2 billion or more. There was a time when we couldn't have imagined a lottery prize as big as the Powerball jackpot is now. But things are functioning well with that game, and a lot of people are having fun dreaming about what they would do with the money. The odds say maybe, but not a huge chance...?
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Coin Toss
Why was Iowa using Illinois' Pick 3 and Pick 4 numbers? That stopped some time ago but I was always curious.
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Terry
Our lottery shared numbers with Illinois for a number of years as a convenience. However, over time, players expressed that they wanted our lottery to have its own numbers, and we took steps to accomplish that. Our players here really seem to like and appreciate the change.
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ChinaDoll
Terry if you work at the lottery office in all states are the staff allowed to play lottery ???
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Terry
In most states, lottery staff are not allowed to play lottery games within their own states. They usually can play the lottery in other states. The laws of the particular state where they live and work only apply to that state.
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grwurston
Hi Terry,
This has not been the first problem with computer draws (see Tennessee.) Even though every time a computer system gets hacked, whether credit cards, banks, hospital etc. there is always the promise of better security and the promise that everything will be done to prevent it from happening again. But it always does. That being said, why don't the states all go back back to mechanical draws? NOBODY here on LP trusts computer draws. If they want to maintain the integrity of the game it seems ball draws are the only way to go.
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Terry
I understand your concern. There have been instances, however, where both ball-drawing equipment and RNGs have been compromised. The critical issue, as you have referenced, is having the security and integrity measures in place to protect against wrong-doing. Someone will always be trying to beat the system, and lotteries constantly have to make improvements to guard against that. The breach of trust in the lottery jackpot investigation stems from the actions of those who apparently were willing to risk the consequences of committing fraud in an attempt to secure a lottery prize.
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music*
Do you know if this Power Ball draw will be held somewhere special? When I win it I intend to only play ball draws no computerized ones. Thank You Terry
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Terry
The Powerball drawing has been held at special events all around the country through the years, including state fairs, festivals and rodeos. It takes an incredible amount of security and equipment to move the drawing to another location. Wednesday night's drawing will occur at the Powerball drawing studio in Florida. Can't wait to see if there is a winner!
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needinghelp
Hello Mr. Rich,
Welcome, How did you hear about Lottery Post? Do you have a social media department dedicated to monitoring player strategies? Will the $100,000 cash game comeback or another Cash 5 type game? Thanks.
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Terry
We've followed Lottery Post for a long time now. It's fun to see the conversations and excitement that people have here. We have a social media staff who do a good job of staying on top of posts and updates. The All or Nothing game replaced Iowa's $100,000 Cash Game and we don't have plans at this time to bring back a cash 5 game. But we always appreciate input and will keep your comment in mind. And I really mean it.
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mypiemaster
PLAYER SAFETY!!!. Why are the lotteries still broadcasting winners info regardless of risk. Shouldn't MUSL and other lotteries give the player the option of anonymity? They investigate the winners anyway, so what's the the justification in publishing winners info. The lottery does not need winners per se for publicity. Just look at what PB is doing this week.
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Terry
Whew! Can't believe we're 40 minutes in! This has gone fast! I think the long-running lottery jackpot investigation shows why it is important for lottery winners' information to be made public. Iowa law has always required release of lottery winners' information. To our understanding, lawmakers put that requirement in place as a security mechanism designed to ensure that real people -- and not lottery insiders -- were winning lottery prizes. We think the system has functioned well and we do our best to make prize claims a really fun event for our winners. We just had a $1 million winner here today and we celebrated with him and sent him home with an oversized check and a bunch of Powerball swag. It was great to meet him.
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erdie
Hi Terry, thank you for taking the time out to answer our questions, I would like to know is it true that the larger states have a better change a hitting the jackpot than the smaller state, or middle class area versus low income areas, I understand that the larger amount put out the better your chances are, if this is the case then why should the smaller states, middle income areas or low income areas waste their money playing, what do you think, does everyone really have a fair chance of hitting the jackpot, like the powerball that is now 1.3 billion, will the winner be the states who brought in the most profit
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Terry
The odds are the same for every ticket sold, no matter where you live, where the ticket was purchased or how the play was made, meaning easy pick vs. picking your own numbers. It is true that there are more people playing in states with larger populations, but that's simply because more people live there. It doesn't mean they're luckier. Small, large, urban, rural, it all averages out over time. Here in Iowa, we're a small state within the Powerball system, but we're actually ahead of the curve when it comes to winnings compared to population. So, we'll take it.
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sonnet
Hello Mr. Rich,
Even if RNGs and ball-drawing equipment have their vulnerabilites, as you've noted, the ball-drawing machines offer the player a modicum of interaction by watching each ball dribbling out of the chute, anticipating the next ball, then talking to the machine to display their desired number and utimately shouting out the next number, even if that ball was different; and the players ticket did not match. This is much more fun than computer generated digits that simply flash numbers. Why would any lottery official want to remove the "fun" factor for the player because RNGs are easier to maintain? For whom is the lottery targetted, the players or the lottery officials?
~s
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Terry
That does it! I'm yelling at the drawing equipment from now on! Your description is great! Seriously, many drawings aren't televised because there are so many of them. This forum shows the likes and dislikes of different types of draws, and we appreciate that input. It's important to know that those of us who administer lotteries are committed to having games that are fair, regardless of how they are drawn. And we hope the games are still fun and you can still do lots of yelling.
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SQL-MAN
Was Eddie Raymond Tipton a former computer programmer? Is it a common practice to hire computer programmers to oversee lottery operations?
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Terry
Hi, SQL-MAN. We appreciate your question, but this is one that we really can't comment on due to the ongoing investigation. We believe that the details of his background and the work that he did at the Multi-State Lottery Association will come up during his next trial, which is scheduled for July.
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Ron5995
Is RNG computer source code and detailed hardware specifications available to the public?
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Terry
Um, no.
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Candy-Lane
Mr Rich,
I do not see where you have answered my question. I realise that you are being bombarded with a lot of questions all at once.
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I will wait patiently for your reply.
Thank-you!
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Terry
We're down to the last couple questions here. Thank you for playing the lottery. We anticipate that RNGs are around to stay. We hope that by being as transparent as we have been throughout the investigation and with the proper oversight, we can gain your confidence that the games are safe. That's our responsibility and our job and it's something we take seriously.
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Wendy G
Good evening,
What is the probability of this ever happening again and most importantly are there measures put
in place so this does not happen in any more states
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Terry
This long-running investigation has shown us a lot about what someone may try to do in an attempt to gain a lottery prize. We've learned so much through the process and put in place greater separation of duties, additional layers of security and new equipment. We pledge to continue to protect against vulnerabilities identified as part of our ongoing efforts to safeguard the integrity of lottery games.
It's our responsibility as lotteries to offer games and prizes with systems and procedures built upon fairness and integrity. And if it ever appears that something has gone wrong, it's our responsibility to get to the bottom of it.
Thank you to everyone for all the questions tonight. This has been fun. We hope to see you in Iowa as our next Powerball winners!