More than 50% of the population in the USA alone participated in different types of lotteries at least once in their lives. Many people test their luck to get the jackpot and then visit Bahama or buy a yacht. But do you know how to be sure whether the lottery is rigged or not?
According to Allied Market Research, the worldwide lottery industry has an operating revenue of $300.6 billion. And it is expected to become $430.4 billion by the end of 2031. This industry is also witnessing a CAGR of 3.8%.
Not just lotteries, there are now numerous fun ways available to make money. You may not believe it, but you can now even get paid to chat with people. So, gamble responsibly and don’t get addicted to it. I don’t support gambling of any kind, nor do I encourage anyone to participate in any form of gambling.
And let’s find out if the lottery is rigged or real. Keep on reading…
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Is The Lottery Rigged, Or Is It Just A Myth?
Being from the financial sector, many people have asked me if the lottery is rigged in the USA. The simple answer is no; it is not rigged! Most offline and online lotteries from trusted companies are legit. You can even get paid to play Bingo these days.
Although there are hundreds of conspiracy theories out there, not a single theory offers definitive proof against its claim! It is just a game of luck that only a handful wins.
In offline lotteries in the USA, tickets are sold in advance. And on the draw day, random numbers are picked through various tamper-proof mechanisms. If the number matches yours, you win!
Are State Lotteries Rigged?
Source: musl.com
No, state lotteries in the USA are not rigged! You may have already seen some news and blogs saying the national lottery was exposed, but they failed to give valid evidence.
On the contrary, the lottery industry is booming now, and people are even making money on Metaverse arranging lotteries there. But yes, the odds of winning in any lottery are extremely low, do does for state lotteries.
State lotteries are not rigged because
- All state lotteries are played under the jurisdiction of that respective state.
- There are governing bodies and state-appointed people to monitor the whole process.
- There is no clear evidence or any rigging claim in the past.
State lotteries are also concerned about their reputation and trustworthiness among people. So, you don’t need to worry about any fraudulent activities there!
How To Know If A Lottery Is Rigged?
Source: mnlottery.com
Do you know the man who cracked the lottery? Although there are a few claims, only Eddie Tipton confessed in 2017 that he rigged Hot Lotto. And he is now serving 25 years in prison time.
Whenever there is the slightest doubt, lottery organizations opt for rapid investigation and block their loopholes. They ensure the trust of people that the impossible can be achievable with luck.
Trust me; everything is possible if that is backed by the proper organization under the state of law. You can now even get free land in the USA; how about that?
But there are some tell-tale signs.
- No clear governing bodies or licenses.
- Organized in the jurisdiction of a different country.
- No clear proof of their actual address and physical presence.
- Claiming things that look too good to be true!
My Opinion: Rely only on those lotteries that have a proven history and clean track record. It is even better if you stick to just state lotteries.
Is The US Powerball Rigged?
Source: powerball.com
Again, there are numerous claims that Powerball results are rigged. No evidence, no valid proof, just conspiracy theories. Honestly saying, the US Powerball is not rigged.
US Powerball is a reputable organizer and follows the same security protocol that big game apps that pay real money are now following.
US Powerball Security Procedure
- They put multiple drums and balls in a heavily-guarded safe and chose one randomly before each draw.
- Any attempt to tamper with the safe, drums, or ball will directly send an alert to security officers.
- They test and weigh all the machines and balls before each draw.
- Restricted access to the actual location of the lottery draw.
- They use tamper-proof random number generators to determine winning combinations.
Odds Of US Powerball: The odds of matching all six digits and hitting the jackpot is 1 in 292 million. But the odds of matching a single number is 1 in 24.8.
Is Mega Millions Rigged?
Source: megamillions.com
Many people have also asked me whether Mega Million or Euro Millions is rigged or not. No, they are not rigged at all, and there is not a single case of these two being rigged.
Since its first official draw in 1996, many people have won the jackpot of Mega Millions that they have listed with their name on their jackpot history page.
Mega Millions Security Mechanism
- They keep balls and drums in secure locks.
- Before each draw, they make sure that each ball has the same dimension and weight.
- Independent auditors check the balls and drawing machines again.
- They allot 3 hours just for checking before each 60-second draw.
- Only authorized personnel can access the drawing machine and ball vault.
Odds Of Mega Millions: The odds of hitting the jackpot is 1 in 302.5 million. But the odd of matching a single digit is 1 in 24.
How Are Lottery Numbers Chosen?
Source: geigercounters.com
Not everyone has a clear idea about how numbers are picked in lotteries, and that’s why they are in doubt about whether offline and online lottery games are rigged or not!
Talking about the USA lottery scenario, trusted organizers follow two methods to pick their winning combinations.
- Geiger Counter: Primarily used by Multi-State Lottery Corporation, this device tracks the current radioactivity in the air and translates it into binary codes. Those codes then divide into double-digit numbers to finally output the winning combination.
- Physical System: Powerball, Mega Millions, and other number-based lotteries now use this system. They put black-labeled and red balls in two different drums. Air is pumped into these containers to mix the ball, and then a platform rises with a random ball.
A few lotteries also use the “Quick Pick” system, where the machine randomly selects 6 numbers between 1 and 49.
6 Reasons Why Lotteries Are Not Rigged
While conspiracy theorists may offer you exuberant claims, they are not backed by evidence and fact-based proof.
So here, I’m giving you six reasons why these lotteries are not rigged at all!
1. Require Licenses
Organizing the lottery is no easy job that you count among the fun things to do at night. Most people question whether the lottery is rigged or not without knowing that it needs a lot of licenses and permits from national and state governing bodies.
There are 4 distinct licenses and certificates that a lottery organizer must have in the USA.
- Establishment Certificate: License to open a business under federal and state law. It also states that the company is adhering to all the laws stipulated by the government.
- Operating License: It is required to start operating any lottery in any state. Depending on the target audience, this license can be obtained from the federal or state government.
- Fair-Play Certificate: It is to certify that there is no rigging or foul play involved. It also restricts insiders from participating in the lottery.
- Financial Reporting: This license is required to maintain transparency in financial transactions.
Failing to obtain any of these licenses can cause a permanent ban on a lottery organization in the USA.
2. Profit Making Through Ticket Sales
Lottery companies primarily make a profit through ticket sales. The more sales they can generate, the more amount they can put on the jackpot, and the more profit they can churn out from those total sales.
They remain truthful towards their buyers to ensure more ticket sales. And if there is any rigging activity, it will only need just one whistleblower to completely ruin the image of that company.
Rigging is not an interest for the organizer because they don’t get any cut from any winning amount or jackpot. All the prize money goes directly to the winners. But if they remain trustworthy and ensure more ticket sales, they remain profitable.
My Take: Lottery companies make more profit from ticket sales if they remain truthful than adopt unethical practices like rigging. Their reputations are also at stake.
3. Restricted Access To Drawing Mechanism
Companies make sure that no one can tamper with their drawing mechanism and equipment. And for that, they ensure state-of-the-art security features.
Security Features
- Each storage area is tightly guarded with CCTVs installed.
- Only authorized personnel can touch the vault or can enter the lottery room.
- Each organization allows only a handful of trustworthy people to enter their drawing zone.
- They divide the responsibilities among workers so that not a single entity can rig anything.
- Independent auditors also check the machines and other equipment.
- Even in a rigged scenario, the suspect group is small, and the chance of getting caught is extremely high.
If any insider tries any tampering or rigging attempt, they will be not only just sacked by the company but will also land in prison due to unethical practices.
4. Expert Independent Auditors
Humans are prone to corruption, and lottery companies know that. So, they add another security layer to their whole process by incorporating independent auditors in their system.
Who They Are: They make sure that the drawing mechanism is not rigged, everyone is getting a fair chance, no insider is involved in the actual draw, and the lottery is happening under the code of conduct.
How Lottery Companies Use Them
- They check their equipment to identify if those are tamper-proof.
- Every ball has the same weight and dimension.
- Companies make sure that they can conduct fair and unbiased audits.
- Companies also shuffle these auditors to make sure that they don’t get too familiar with the system and start rigging on their own.
My Take: If you have a thorough understanding of how lottery and drawing mechanisms work, you can also start working as an independent auditor. And it is one of the fun jobs that pay well these days.
5. Use Of Random Number Generators
The days are gone when people used to pick the balls physically from the pot. Now, lottery companies use RNG (Random Number Generators), which can not be manipulated.
It picks numbers randomly without any particular formula or combination that anyone can crack. Even if it has a formula, that formula comes with unpredictable variables.
Let’s talk about the Geiger Counters that Multi-State Lottery uses these days. It translates the current radioactivity of the air and gives numbers. You can’t predict the radioactivity beforehand.
Benefits of RNG: These machines not only just pick random numbers from a large set but also minimize human involvement in the actual draw.
Companies also keep secret what kind of RNG they are going to use to make it tampering-proof.
6. Prompt Fraud Claim Investigations
Every lottery company has its in-house and external investigation team for any fraud or rigging claims. They also have an authentication team that certifies the physical ticket is genuine.
How It Works
- Once a lottery company receives any complaints, they launch an investigation probe. (They can also start Suo moto investigations).
- The in-house team first investigates and submits its findings.
- The independent third-party investigation team then conducts another round and submits its findings.
- The company’s governing body then resolves those claims and adds new security layers.
My Take: If you have a keen interest in investigation and court proceedings, you can take up online juror jobs. These jobs can easily fetch you $35 to $50/hour or more.
Final Note
A lottery is only fun when you use it recreationally and only to test your luck occasionally. And if it becomes an addiction, your life will be ruined in no time.
So, play responsibly. If you decide to play, stick with only the big names in the industry or state-organized ones.
So, that’s all I had to tell you about whether the lottery is rigged or not. Feel free to drop your queries and start a conversation with me in the comment section.
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Hello there, I’m Siva Mahesh, an MBA Finance post-graduate and a Remote Career & Personal Finance blogger for 5+ years. Over the years, my work has been featured on US News, Entrepreneur, MSN, Yahoo Finance, GoBankingRates, EverQuote, Legal Zoom, The Simple Dollar, Databox, Business.com, Business News Daily, Venngage, Score.org, and more. My primary mission is to help our readers maximize their earning potential with legitimate online business ideas, side hustles, and passive income ideas we publish on Dreamshala. Currently, more than 100,000 readers from all around the world visit this blog every month and learn new ways to improve their finances.
