First Large-Scale Audience Participation on the 10th
1704 Applicants for 150 Spots... 11.4 to 1 Ratio
More than 1,700 people applied to attend the live audience for the first large-scale Lotto lottery drawing broadcast scheduled for the 10th.
On the 1st, lottery operator Donghaeng Lottery announced that from the 15th to the 26th of last month, a total of 1,704 people applied for 150 available spots to attend the Lotto lottery drawing broadcast, resulting in a competition rate of 11.4 to 1. Applicants eligible to attend were general public aged 19 or older who had no experience attending Lotto or pension lottery broadcasts in the past six months. Attendees will be selected through a drawing.
Donghaeng Lottery has been inviting about 15 members of the general public to each weekly Lotto lottery drawing broadcast. However, following repeated allegations of Lotto winning number manipulation, the company planned this event to promote fairness and transparency in the lottery drawing broadcasts.
While recruiting audience members, Donghaeng Lottery stated, "To actively communicate with the public and promote fairness and transparency in the lottery drawing broadcasts, we will hold a 'National Public Lotto Drawing Open Live Broadcast.'" They added, "The drawing broadcast is conducted fairly with the presence of police officers, broadcast personnel, and Donghaeng Lottery officials in accordance with relevant regulations." They further explained, "Attendance at the drawing broadcast is part of the preparation process and serves to confirm that the drawing broadcast is conducted through a fair procedure."
This is the first time since the Lotto lottery was issued in December 2002 that a large number of people have been invited to publicly view the drawing site.
In particular, rumors of Lotto winning number leaks or manipulation spread widely after the 1,057th Lotto lottery drawing on March 4. At that time, an unprecedented 664 second-prize winners emerged simultaneously, and among them, 103 winners were reported to have purchased their tickets from a single sales outlet in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, which intensified the controversy. In response, the Ministry of Economy and Finance’s Lottery Commission Secretariat (hereafter Lottery Commission) issued a statement explaining that "the preferred numbers were drawn by chance, and manipulation of Lotto winning numbers is impossible," but the controversy did not easily subside.
The large-scale public broadcast will also feature a separate pre-event. This event will begin at 4 p.m. on the same day before the Lotto drawing. The first part will include a talk show titled "Questions about the Lottery Answered by Science and Psychology," followed by a viewing of the drawing preparation process and rehearsal in the second part. The event will conclude with attendance at the MBC live broadcast of Happy Dream Lotto 6/45.
A Lottery Commission official said, "We did not expect this many people to apply (to attend)," adding, "This will be an opportunity for more citizens to observe the Lotto drawing process."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
