Was the record breaking 6 billion forint lottery jackpot won fairly? Szerencsejáték Zrt. requests extraordinary investigation

Szerencsejáték Zrt. has initiated an official investigation with the gambling supervisory authority.

The company launched the extraordinary review in order to reassure players and the public regarding last week’s lottery draws. Szerencsejáték Zrt. has asked the authority to examine both the legality of the draws and the operation of the related IT systems.

The move comes after doubts were raised in the media and on social media following last weekend’s draws about the fairness of the lottery results. During the 16th week of the year, four number based lottery games the Scandinavian Lottery, Hatoslottó, Joker, and Ötöslottó all produced jackpot winners, with the latter reaching a record breaking grand prize. Although similar coincidences have happened before, in 2000 and 2018, the company still considered it necessary to request an official investigation.

The company emphasized that the lottery draw process is strictly regulated and subject to multiple levels of control. The drawing machines, spheres, and balls are all officially certified and, when not in use, are stored in sealed secure locations overseen by a notary. The entire draw process is supervised by a notary, while the locations are monitored by cameras and security systems. The drawing equipment is also completely disconnected from any IT systems.

The company also highlighted that lottery results are entirely based on chance. All submitted tickets are secured with digital signatures, and the total set of bets is finalized before the draw takes place, making any later modifications impossible. The entire process can be reviewed at any time by independent authorities.