Have you ever wondered what happens behind the scenes at our lottery draws and how we make newly-minted millionaires? 

The Lott’s Draw Administration team conducts all of our lottery draws, along with all the draw processing functions, such as dividend verification and prize distribution.

To find out more about the draw management process, we chatted to Geoff Hackney, Draw Administration Manager at the Lott. 

Can you tell us a little bit more about your role as Draw Administration Manager?

“I am responsible for ensuring the timeliness and integrity of all our lottery draws. I have worked for the Lott for around 17 years which means I have been involved in thousands of draws and have been responsible for creating hundreds of millionaires. There’s at least one lottery draw every day of the year, and for each draw, there are specific tasks that have to be completed.

Our team works around the clock ensuring draws and the associated tasks are completed according to our strict procedures and regulatory requirements. 

Our daily tasks include preparing for all draws, conducting the draws at the Channel 7 studios or here at the Lott HQ. We also declare the draw results and provide reports to both our internal auditors and government regulators for additional verification.”

Not all draws are conducted using a standard lottery draw machine but rather by a Random Number Generator. Can you tell us a bit more about Random Number Generators and how they work?

“For Oz Lotto, Powerball, and Monday, Wednesday and Saturday Lotto draws, we use specialised lottery draw machines. For our daily games Lucky Lotteries and Set for Life, we use an approved Random Number Generator for the draws. We conduct the draws at the Lott HQ under the supervision of a government supervisor. 

The programming of the device is what makes this machine special. These devices are regularly tested to make sure they are fit for purpose, and the draw lottery machines have been approved by the necessary regulators.”

Can just anyone perform a draw?

“The simple answer is – no! My team and I are all licenced by the Queensland Government, who supervise draws on behalf of all our relevant state and territory regulators. Only Lottery Key Person licenced staff perform these duties.

The Lottery Key Person licence is issued to staff after a thorough background integrity check and allows them to operate draw equipment.”

What other controls are there in place?

“Apart from an extensive background check of all who are directly involved in our draws, all our draws and areas of operation are subject to security controls and our draw related processes are all subject to regulatory approvals and internal and external audits. The way we conduct our draws meets World Lottery Association standards, further bolstering their integrity.”

Can you buy an entry into a lottery game yourself?

“No, due to the processes put in place to ensure the integrity of the draw, anyone involved in the draw can not have a ticket related to the draw.” 

 

You can watch the interview with Geoff from the Draw Administration Team here.