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Wisconsin Lottery switches to computers to select winning numbers
The Wisconsin Lottery is now one of more than a dozen U.S. lotteries to use random number generating computers to select the winning numbers for its nightly on-line games, Michael J. Edmonds, Acting Lottery Director said last week.
"Random number generators have become the standard", said Edmonds. "They are secure and cost effective".
Edmonds said the Lottery began to research random number generators as it faced the prospect of having to replace its aging inventory of mechanical ball machines. The newest mechanical draw machines are seven years old; several back up machines were purchased more than 10 years ago. Replacing them would cost the Lottery anywhere from $125,000-$200,000. By contrast, the total cost for three computers with three certified random number generator (RNG) programs and the cabinets to house them was $11,000.
But Edmonds said it was the security of the new computerized system that sealed the deal.
"We wouldn't have made the switch if we thought there was anything that could compromise the integrity of our drawings", Edmonds said.
The RNG programs used by the Lottery were certified by Gaming Laboratories International of Lakewood, New Jersey and were installed on three computers in the presence of independent auditors and Lottery security personnel. The RNG drawing computers are "stand alone" units: They are not hooked up to a network of any kind, meaning no one can "hack" into them to manipulate drawing results.
Each night within the Lottery's secure computer room a Capitol Police Officer and an independent auditor randomly select one of the RNG units for that night's drawings. Along with a Lottery drawing staff employee, they open the locked, sealed cabinet in which the selected machine is kept and test the RNG program a minimum of 10 times. They then conduct the drawings by following a strict set of procedures and verify and affirm the results. As has always been the case, all activity within the drawing room is recorded and members of the public may witness the drawings.
Within the region, the Minnesota, Missouri and Indiana lotteries also use RNG computers for their drawings.
Source: BonusGambler.com Editors' Choice
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