A look at how the lottery is run
A lottery does not run by itself and there are many people behind the scenes who are involved in the entire lottery process, right from ticket purchases to doling out the prize money. Listed below are just some of the people responsible to enable each lottery draw to go smoothly, honestly, and efficiently.
Third Party Ticket Printers
Authorized, secured, and licenced printing houses need to print the operator’s logos and security marks on rolls of blank tickets so that tickets printed with the lottery information on them are legitimate and easily validated as printed on an original ticket paper.
Ticket Retailers
These are the meat and bones of the lottery. These people sell the actual tickets and bring in the revenue and income that produces both prize money and profits. They also validate winning tickets and pay out prizes to a certain monetary limit.
Regulator and Third Party Lottery Ticket Testing Labs
These in-house and third party company labs test tickets to ensure that tickets are real and original, have not been altered, and are a genuine specimen. This can be done as a random act to verify consistency in the ticket supply or to validate winning tickets.
Security/Surveillance Departments and Personnel
They are responsible for watching over ticket deliveries and distribution; access to restricted areas that house draw locations, balls and blowers, computer equipment, studios, video and audio equipment, and anything else that could alter a legitimate draw. All areas are under video surveillance and all draws are filmed for visual and audible verification and historical data.
Marketing and Promotion
This department consists of people whose job it is to advertise and market the lottery to hit as wide a range of potential ticket purchasers as possible. Intense market research and creativity in promotion helps to build a loyal base of regular players and draw new players into the lottery.
Sales
Their job is to obtain retailers and get them to agree to sell tickets, and perform other activities to promote the lottery as a product to other potential buyers.
Directors, Managers, Assistants
These are the decision-makers responsible for running the lottery, increasing sales, and public relations such as handling issues with draws.
Internal Audit
Employees of the operator who monitor and ensure draws are done legitimately and honestly according to the draw process.
External Audit
This is usually an accounting firm that monitors the weighing of the balls or the verification of the Random Number Generator, the actual draw itself, and the dismantling securing and storage of all draw apparatus.
Regulators, Compliance, and Enforcement
The operator’s government regulator of the jurisdiction in which the draw is being conducted who oversees all aspects of the draw including before, during, after, and in between each draw, and conducts investigations for any actual or perceived issue related to the draw.
IT
Information Technology is responsible to monitor all the electronics such as communications lines and computer equipment of the draw and respond to issues as needed.
Accounting
This department consists of the old bean counters who ensure that all draws, winnings, payouts, etc balance out to the very last cent.
Communications
Ensures that operator and regulatory information is made available to all players.
Legal
Handles all aspects of the draw including any issues as to the process, integrity, or honesty of the draw or issues arising during or from it.
Draw Personnel, TV Hosts, Camerapeople, Official Recorders
These people are responsible for the conduction of the actual lottery draw. They are filmed presenting and doing the draw, and recording the results, live either on a local TV channel, or to be posted on their own website later.
Head offices, Claims Locations, and Claims Personnel
This is where winners of large prizes go to present their winning ticket and have it validated, get interviewed, have their win declared valid, and receive or plan to receive, their money.
The lottery draws look like simple and easy events to put on. But with gambling being a tightly controlled industry, it actually involves a lot of people and lot of departments to do each and every lottery draw in the highest regard to integrity and transparency.