What are the odds? Glitch duplicates lottery numbers

The Arizona Lottery is offering losing ticket refunds or exchanges from four games held over a recent six-day period because a machine used for the drawings generated the same winning numbers in consecutive games.

The games affected are Fantasy 5, Pick 3, All or Nothing and 5 Card Cash, played from Sept. 28 to Oct. 3, Arizona Lottery officials said.

The Arizona Lottery uses three machines called random number generators, or RNGs, to generate the winning numbers for the games, said Nikki O’Shea, state Lottery spokeswoman. The machines are stand-alone units that are not connected to a network or online sys- tem, she said. Two of the machines are managed by Iowa-based Multi-State Lottery, which works with the Arizona Lottery. The third, which is in Phoenix, is used as a backup, O’Shea said.

Multi-State Lottery randomly selects which machines will be used for a game’s number draw. The machine that caused the problem was selected for the morning draw Sept. 28 and 30, and for the evening draw Sept. 29 and Oct. 3, O’Shea said. The machine, which Lottery officials referred to as RNG2, produced the numbers for one game and then generated the exact same numbers in a subsequent game. This happened several times with different games.

For example, in a Fantasy 5 game

Sept. 29, the numbers drawn were 1-4-812-28. The same numbers were generated by the machine when it was used again in the game on Oct. 3.

Duplicate numbers were generated in All or Nothing on Sept. 28 and 30, and on Sept. 29 and Oct. 3. Pick 3 duplicates were generated Sept. 29 and Oct. 3. The 5 Card Cash game also was affected during that time period, officials said.

O’Shea said the matter still was being investigated, but the machine has been taken out of use and the other two will be used going forward. Additional draw audits have been added before winning numbers are certified, she said.

Powerball, Mega Millions and the Pick were not affected.

“The integrity of our games is paramount to Arizona Lottery. We have incredible players at Arizona Lottery and we appreciate their patience and support,” O’Shea said.

Winning tickets that bear the duplicate numbers are being honored. But players who hung on to their losing tickets for the four games affected from Sept. 28 to Oct. 3 can exchange their ticket for a new one or get a refund by mail or in person at one of three Arizona Lottery locations:

» Phoenix office: 4740 E. University Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85034; Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

» Tucson office: 2900 E. Broadway Blvd., Suite 190, Tucson, AZ 85716; Monday-Friday, 8 a.m-5 p.m.

» Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport: Terminal 4 baggage-claim area.

More information can be found on the Arizona Lottery website, arizonalottery.com, or by calling 480-921-4400.