Pressing the Drawing Button in Front of 100 Observers
Revealing the Key Equipment: the Drawing Machine and Storage Facility
Donghaeng Lottery, the lottery trustee, conducted a large-scale public drawing to dispel the continuously raised suspicions of Lotto manipulation. At the event, Kim Ye-ji, the silver medalist in shooting at the Paris Olympics, appeared and pressed the drawing button herself.
On the 24th, Yonhap News reported that Donghaeng Lottery held the drawing in front of about 100 observers, five times the usual number, during the live broadcast event "2024 Lottery Day" held the previous night at the new MBC building in Mapo-gu, Seoul. These observers were invited through a drawing from among ordinary adults who had no experience attending Lotto and pension lottery drawing events in the past six months.
The person drawing the winning numbers was Kim Yeji, who won a silver medal in shooting at the Paris Olympics. On that day, Kim Yeji took out the prepared gun and demonstrated a shooting stance before pressing the drawing machine button, saying, "I hope luck goes to those who pay attention to their surroundings and offer a helping hand." Photo by MBC
The person who drew the winning numbers was Kim Ye-ji, who won the silver medal in shooting at the Paris Olympics. On that day, Kim Ye-ji took out the prepared gun and demonstrated a shooting stance, then said, "I hope luck goes to those who pay attention to their surroundings and extend a helping hand," before pressing the drawing machine button. The winning numbers for the 1147th Lotto draw were '7, 11, 24, 26, 27, 37,' and the second prize bonus number was '32.' There were 8 first-prize winning tickets: 6 automatic and 2 manual. If all 8 tickets belong to different people, each person would receive 3,323,422,079 KRW. The number of second-prize winning tickets, which matched 5 numbers plus the bonus number, was counted at 83.
Earlier, the core equipment, including the drawing machine and storage facility, was also disclosed. The drawing machine, a product of the French company Akanis Technologies, was kept under 24-hour surveillance in a separate space within the studio. The storage facility was secured with a double lock system using a padlock and card key to block external access. Inside, devices to maintain proper temperature and humidity were also installed.
On the afternoon of the 23rd, the live broadcast of the national Lotto 6/45 drawing, "2024 Lottery Day," was held at MBC in Sangam, Mapo-gu, Seoul. Provided by Donghaeng Lottery.
Observers were also able to watch the weekly inspection of the drawing balls and the drawing machine test operations. The drawing balls consist of a total of 5 sets and must pass circumference and weight inspections conducted in the presence of police officers. The actual ball set used and the backup ball set are randomly selected by the observers. Donghaeng Lottery emphasized, "The drawing is designed to be 100% random, so manipulation is absolutely impossible."
This large-scale observation was conducted to promote transparency in the drawing process. Whenever dozens of first-prize winners emerge or there is a large regional disparity in winners, online rumors of "Lotto manipulation" arise. However, the Ministry of Economy and Finance already actively addressed related suspicions last year. At that time, the ministry stated, "The probability of selecting a combination of 6 numbers out of 45 is 1 in 8.14 million, which is constant," and "Considering the sales volume per draw (about 100 million tickets), it is normal for about 12 first-prize winners to occur." While releasing the research results from Seoul National University’s Statistical Research Institute, they also said, "Manipulation is impossible, and due to the nature of 'random drawing,' it is entirely possible for multiple winners to appear."
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