Are state lotteries legitimate, fair, and unbiased?

Question

I am curious about lotteries that offer outrageously large jackpots which sometimes go on for months and months without anyone ever winning. Irrespective of the high odds- are these games real and legitimate, or are they rigged to not allow any significant wins until the lottery commission designates it, for whatever reason? I've noticed that, quite often, the big winners tend to come from one specific area (if there is a winner) in a state, and I was wondering how that can occur so often when there are winners. just curious....

Answer 1

I really find it hard to believe.  It would take dozens of staff members in on it, and human nature is such that sooner or later someone gets mad and quits.  Then they go to the media and blow the whistle.  It's hard to imagine loyalty that would prevent the story ever going public.

Fact is the odds of picking the winning numbers in Powerball or Megamillions is well over 150,000,000 to one.  Those are some stout odds.  This is why the jackpot rolls over and over for weeks on end.

I think it is a horrible idea, but the market research points to more players playing when the jackpot gets high.  So they make more money this way, which is really the whole point.

As to your theory that they all win in specific areas, I think this is looking for patterns where none really exist.

Answer 2

Like casinos, state lotteries have no reason whatsoever to cheat. They make a fortune just the way things are now. Why would they risk getting shut down just to gain a few dollars? It makes no sense.

There is no specific area of any state that's "programmed" to win more often. It is a mere coincidence if two or more happen to be from one city or county.

It stands to reason that a large metropolitan area will produce more winners than a small rural town, simply because there are more people playing in the heavily populated areas.