Super Draw Statement from the CT LotteryStatement from the CT Lottery
We apologize that the January 1, 2018 CT Super Draw drawing did not go as planned. Although there were many layers of protection and security in place, human error occurred, despite multiple practice drawings. The incorrect ticket range was entered into the Random Number Generator, the machine that draws the winning numbers. The ticket number range sold was 100,001 – 314,601. The ticket number range was incorrectly entered as 100,001 – 214,601. As a result, any ticket numbers above 214,601 were not included in the January 1, 2018 drawing.
Investigations are being conducted by both the CT Lottery and the Department of Consumer Protection. Two CT Lottery employees have been placed on paid administrative leave, pending the investigation.
Unfortunately, there is no perfect solution. Some players have asked why not do a second drawing for only the 100,000 tickets that were omitted from the first drawing? Although at first glance, that may sound fair, it only compounds the initial error. The CT Lottery and the Department of Consumer Protection conduct drawings according to agreed upon game rules and procedures. The agreed upon game rules and procedures for CT Super Draw, and for all drawings, require that all eligible tickets be entered into the drawing. The January 1, 2018 drawing failed for this exact reason. We cannot in good faith perform another drawing that violates these procedures and distorts the odds further.
This means that some players will receive the benefit of the error made by the drawing team, since the CT Lottery will honor winning tickets from the January 1, 2018 drawing. Honoring those tickets is the right thing to do because that drawing was made official. Similarly, conducting the CT Super Draw drawing as originally intended, including all eligible tickets, is also the right thing to do. We intend to give players what they purchased: a chance for all ticket holders to win a prize, including the $1,000,000 top prize.
If a player threw out his or her ticket(s), there are instructions on the CT Lottery website, ctlottery.org, about how to make a claim. The CT Lottery Security Department will be assisting with this process.
We are continuing to investigate and evaluate this situation to make our safeguards stronger and ensure the integrity of all CT Lottery games.
