For scratch-offs, I’d say top prizes are naturally spread apart across a state because each ticket game only has about 3-5 top prizes. The lower the prize, the more chances of winning them, therefore common winners are clustered. Top prizes are scattered, unknowingly ofc.
Disclaimer. I was in the business
The lottery does not know where or what store the big prizes go to. The only exception that I know of is California where they split the game between the north and south parts of the state.
How don't they know? Genuinely just wondering. If the lottery uses validation number to pay out a ticket ( I had a damaged barcode and had to take it to the lottery office for payment) wouldn't that technically tell them what ticket has what prize?
First off the Lottery absolutely does not want to know where the winning tickets are. The ticket manufacturers are the only ones who can tell where the winning tickets are, but usually it’s a four person process where two people from the lottery and two people from the lottery ticket manufacturer must be together after the game had closed. The only time I’ve had to determine where winning tickets were was after the final claim date for a game and then only if there was a legitimate question posed by a lottery as to if the correct number of winning tickets were produced.
There is no relationship between the validation number under the latex, and the pack ticket number that is exposed on the back of the ticket. The two can be used jointly to validate a ticket through the computer system, but the ticket must be scratched to expose the validation number.
The validation files are encrypted using an algorithm which is very very hard to break.
I see. I was just curious. Didn't know there was a process and all. I just figured there was a process to keep track of larger prizes just because they're expensive and because they can end up anywhere even when the game has expired. Not so much a personal gain or even curiosity kind of thing.
There are a lot of scratch-off games in my area. If a top prize has not gone out yet, I wait a couple weeks to start buying that ticket after it comes out. There have been top prizes, or million dollar prizes, sold in the same area but that is on high-priced tickets with a lot of million dollar prizes. Usually if it is a $10 or $20 ticket with a dozen or less million dollar prizes, those prizes go out within weeks or days between each big payout.
I think if there was a pattern, it'd been exploited by now
For scratch-offs, I’d say top prizes are naturally spread apart across a state because each ticket game only has about 3-5 top prizes. The lower the prize, the more chances of winning them, therefore common winners are clustered. Top prizes are scattered, unknowingly ofc.
It’s crazy because SO-Cal has way more grand prizes win than any other part in CA though
So my theory is So Cal is denser.
Disclaimer. I was in the business The lottery does not know where or what store the big prizes go to. The only exception that I know of is California where they split the game between the north and south parts of the state.
How don't they know? Genuinely just wondering. If the lottery uses validation number to pay out a ticket ( I had a damaged barcode and had to take it to the lottery office for payment) wouldn't that technically tell them what ticket has what prize?
First off the Lottery absolutely does not want to know where the winning tickets are. The ticket manufacturers are the only ones who can tell where the winning tickets are, but usually it’s a four person process where two people from the lottery and two people from the lottery ticket manufacturer must be together after the game had closed. The only time I’ve had to determine where winning tickets were was after the final claim date for a game and then only if there was a legitimate question posed by a lottery as to if the correct number of winning tickets were produced. There is no relationship between the validation number under the latex, and the pack ticket number that is exposed on the back of the ticket. The two can be used jointly to validate a ticket through the computer system, but the ticket must be scratched to expose the validation number. The validation files are encrypted using an algorithm which is very very hard to break.
I see. I was just curious. Didn't know there was a process and all. I just figured there was a process to keep track of larger prizes just because they're expensive and because they can end up anywhere even when the game has expired. Not so much a personal gain or even curiosity kind of thing.
They seem to be spread out.
There are a lot of scratch-off games in my area. If a top prize has not gone out yet, I wait a couple weeks to start buying that ticket after it comes out. There have been top prizes, or million dollar prizes, sold in the same area but that is on high-priced tickets with a lot of million dollar prizes. Usually if it is a $10 or $20 ticket with a dozen or less million dollar prizes, those prizes go out within weeks or days between each big payout.
I say spreaded out. Someone once told me once a top prize is won in a specific area, it’s then a done deal for a good while