Maryland Lottery To Begin Digital Drawings Next Week

Source: maryland lottery / maryland lottery

A sad day indeed for all of us who grew up watching the bouncing lottery balls.

Beginning Dec. 19, the Maryland Lottery will be using a computer to draw numbers for the “Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5, Bonus Match 5, and Multi-Match.” The lottery drawing will not be televised anymore but animated videos of the drawings will be available on the Maryland Lottery website.

“Lottery balls and machines have been part of the Maryland Lottery’s history, but it’s important for us to modernize as we look forward to the next 50 years and beyond,” said Maryland Lottery and Gaming Director John Martin in a news release. “More than 30 other lotteries in the U.S. and Canada have shifted to RNG systems because they are efficient, cost-effective — and most importantly, they are extremely secure.”

For those wondering, the numbers will be created using a computer system called “random number generator.”

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According to officials, the Maryland Lottery is going to great lengths to protect the system sharing that the computer is not connected to the internet and cannot be accessed remotely.

Additionally, the computer will be in a room that’s double-locked and under video surveillance 24 hours, seven days a week. They also shared that the only way to get into the room with the computer is with two drawing officials with separate electronic keys and that the cabinet with the computer itself can only be opened with two lottery officials using separate keys.

Key hardware is sealed inside the cabinet and the system will stop working if those seals are broken.

And if you’re still wondering, the system is called Smartplay RNG and has been tested and validated by Gaming Laboratories International a company used by lottery regulators around the world.

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