jon
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June 6th, 2013 at 3:58:57 PM permalink
My wife told me she saw on the news that they showed the lady who was in front of the Powerball winner in line who let the winning lady cut in front of her (because she was elderly), basically costing her the $550 million prize. I told my wife I don't think the quick-pick works like that, and like a slot machine, it probably incorporates the timing of the request into the generated numbers. Anyone know if this is correct?
tringlomane
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June 6th, 2013 at 4:05:01 PM permalink
I have always believed it was an RNG pulling this off, so all past events had some influence in her getting that ticket at that exact moment, including that person letting her buy first. It shouldn't have cost the other person the jackpot. However if I was the lady, if I could find out who let me in front, I would strongly think about giving them a bit of it. Especially if I was 84. The government probably loves her age.
onenickelmiracle
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June 6th, 2013 at 4:07:40 PM permalink
I'm sure it's a coincidence with the Powerball, especially considering the actual winning numbers aren't picked.
EZ play games, I have no idea how they work when they are sold with progressive values. I bought tickets with the last one printed at 7:42:38, then the screen said the winning ticket was sold in Dayton at 7:43. It did not feel good, but it didn't feel bad getting my $10 back I played and won.
I am a robot.
JB
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June 6th, 2013 at 5:02:51 PM permalink
I am inclined to think that Quick Picks might be served like pull-tab tickets. That is, when a request for a new Quick Pick comes in, the next ticket in the "box" or queue is returned, and removed from the queue until the box is sold out, at which point a new box is made available.

I recall that for one of the last big lottery jackpots, the national news media was reporting that every possible combination was in play for that drawing. It seems to me that this isn't something that would be known hours before the drawing unless Quick Picks were chosen in this manner. Obviously it's possible, but they would have had to compile all of the tickets sold for each participating state long before the drawing in order to know that.
tringlomane
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June 6th, 2013 at 5:11:59 PM permalink
Quote: JB


I recall that for one of the last big lottery jackpots, the national news media was reporting that every possible combination was in play for that drawing. It seems to me that this isn't something that would be known hours before the drawing unless Quick Picks were chosen in this manner. Obviously it's possible, but they would have had to compile all of the tickets sold for each participating state long before the drawing in order to know that.



I think the media was wrong on that too. Journalists are idiots when it comes to this stuff. No offense Alan (and maybe others?).

Illinois's FAQ says that Quick Picks are "randomly selected" as I expected them to be.

http://www.illinoislottery.com/en-us/Faq.html#GQ
JB
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June 6th, 2013 at 5:23:55 PM permalink
Quote: tringlomane

I think the media was wrong on that too. Journalists are idiots when it comes to this stuff. No offense Alan (and maybe others?).

Illinois's FAQ says that Quick Picks are "randomly selected" as I expected them to be.

http://www.illinoislottery.com/en-us/Faq.html#GQ


"Randomly selected" doesn't rule out anything. For example, "Quick picks are randomly selected from a virtual box of combinations that have not yet been sold." However, the most likely (and easiest) explanation is that the numbers are truly chosen randomly and not selected from a queue.
FleaStiff
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June 6th, 2013 at 5:57:23 PM permalink
Some vendors print QPs in advance to get them through long lines of customers or down time caused by nearby lightening or something. This is usually only done during the massive sales caused by headline making prize amounts that astound the public's imagination and common sense.
tringlomane
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June 6th, 2013 at 6:06:24 PM permalink
Quote: JB

"Randomly selected" doesn't rule out anything. For example, "Quick picks are randomly selected from a virtual box of combinations that have not yet been sold." However, the most likely (and easiest) explanation is that the numbers are truly chosen randomly and not selected from a queue.



Practically, I feel like it's a stupid idea though.

Here, my home state of Missouri does better.

Quote: Missouri Lottery FAQ

If I buy a Quick Pick ticket, can anyone else buy those numbers using Quick Pick?

Yes. Quick Pick tickets are generated randomly by the terminal at the retailer, and there is no central computer that is controlling ticket generation. The chances of buying a Draw Game ticket with the same numbers as someone else are the same as the chances of winning the jackpot.



http://www.molottery.com/learnaboutus/FAQs.shtm
JB
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June 6th, 2013 at 6:49:54 PM permalink
Missouri's answer is spot-on, implying that the numbers are chosen only when requested, not drawn out of a virtual box.
sodawater
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June 6th, 2013 at 7:02:12 PM permalink
JB,

state lottos have a record of every ticket sold for every game they have. the fact that they know every combination in play (and know immediately after the drawing how many winners there are and where they bought their tickets) has nothing to do with the quick picks being pre-determined. In NJ, at least, the quick picks are selected at random the moment the cashier presses the button.
Wizard
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June 6th, 2013 at 7:09:41 PM permalink
I respond to the question at hand in this post.
"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow." -- Ecclesiastes 1:18 (NIV)
JB
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June 6th, 2013 at 7:41:30 PM permalink
Quote: sodawater

state lottos have a record of every ticket sold for every game they have.


That's pretty obvious.

Quote: sodawater

the fact that they know every combination in play (and know immediately after the drawing how many winners there are and where they bought their tickets) has nothing to do with the quick picks being pre-determined. In NJ, at least, the quick picks are selected at random the moment the cashier presses the button.


That's not what I'm talking about. The news (perhaps falsely) claimed that every possible combination was in play, and made this claim well before the drawing occurred. My point was that, in order to know this, some central authority (presumably MUSL) would have had to combine/compile all of the tickets sold up to that point from each participating state, and determine if there were any combinations not yet in play. In theory this would not be difficult to do, but with so many independent participating states, and all the red tape involved especially when the jackpot is large, it seems like it would have been a pretty big undertaking.
sodawater
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June 6th, 2013 at 7:49:43 PM permalink
As i understand it, every ticket bought is recorded and sent to the state lotto headquarters... from there, I guess it would not be too difficult to centralize it for all the states in the multistate lottery... And it would not take a computer more than a few seconds to check to see if all 175 million combinations had been sold.

I know that Powerball has a dedicated headquarters and staff, while Mega Millions is run through the existing state lottery apparatus.
winmonkeyspit3
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June 6th, 2013 at 9:33:17 PM permalink
Quote: tringlomane

I have always believed it was an RNG pulling this off, so all past events had some influence in her getting that ticket at that exact moment, including that person letting her buy first. It shouldn't have cost the other person the jackpot. However if I was the lady, if I could find out who let me in front, I would strongly think about giving them a bit of it. Especially if I was 84. The government probably loves her age.



IF she has family that she trusts, she would have been wise to claim her prize with them. As you allude to, the winnings will most probably be subject to double taxation. Should she die, estate taxes in this country are now 50%. Should she gift the money, anything over 14000 is subject to taxation, and there is also a generation skipping transfer tax on any money gifted (1 mil floor) to someone 37.5 or more years younger than you (if she started trusts for younger family members or even gave cash to grandkids etc).

Yes, WoV forum visits are my breaks from CPA Exam review.
98Clubs
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June 8th, 2013 at 10:55:55 AM permalink
Quote: tringlomane

I think the media was wrong on that too. Journalists are idiots when it comes to this stuff.



Nah, they just write on a $/word basis.... no thought intended ;o)
Some people need to reimagine their thinking.
Venthus
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June 8th, 2013 at 12:12:19 PM permalink
I recall hearing, but don't have any citations for this, that the Power Ball quick pick only picks values that are not yet in play, except in the case where all combinations are already live, in which it picks random values.

(Incidentally, I've also heard that none of the Power Ball jackpots have been won with a manually chosen number.)
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