To reassure players and the general public, the lottery operator has requested an extraordinary audit from the gambling regulatory authority regarding the jackpot wins in last week’s draws of the Scandinavian Lotto, the 6/49 Lotto, the Joker, and the 5/25 Lotto, the company announced to MTI on Wednesday.
The statement highlighted that the national lottery operator decided to initiate a voluntary official investigation after doubts arose in the press and on social media regarding the integrity of the draws for the four games following Saturday’s draws. They explained that last week, during the 16th week of this year, between Wednesday and Saturday, there were jackpot winners in all four number-based games, with the 5-number lottery awarding its largest jackpot ever.
This unusual coincidence is not unprecedented; similar cases occurred in 2018 and 2000, they noted. In its statement, the company emphasized that the lottery drawing process is strictly regulated, audited by international organizations, and frequently inspected by domestic authorities.
It was stated that:
the drawing equipment—the drawing machine, the manual draw equipment, and the balls—is certified by the metrology authority in all cases; outside of drawing times, the equipment is stored in a room sealed by a notary public and equipped with a security lock.
The sets of balls used for a single game are uniform; there are no differences between them in any parameter. The draw process—from the preparation of the equipment to the conclusion of the draw broadcast—is supervised by a notary public, and the venues are equipped with cameras and a security system. The draw equipment operates independently of any other devices and is therefore not connected to any IT system.
The outcome of the draws is always determined by chance. Tickets participating in the draw are digitally signed after payment, and the totality of bets participating in the draw is also electronically signed prior to the draw. This data cannot be altered after the draw. The entire process can be audited by any independent authority at any time, the statement said. The company has promised to publish the results of the investigation initiated by the gambling regulatory authority.
Via MTI; Featured photo: Pexels
