Durban - The National Lotteries Commission (NLC) maintains that the number selection in Tuesday night's draw was all above board.
In the strangest Powerball lottery draw, Tuesday nightβs winning Powerball numbers were 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and the Powerball number was also 10.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the NLC said the occurrence, while uncommon, is not impossible, with the odds of any set of numbers selected for PowerBall being 1 in 42 million.
"The results generated in a Powerball draw revealed a selection of numbers that have drawn public scrutiny. The NLC would like to assure all South Africans that all National Lottery games and methods used to conduct draws undergo a rigorous process of review prior to approval by the NLC.
βThis is to ensure that the National Lottery is conducted with integrity and all players are afforded an equal chance of winning prizes," the NLC's Ndivhuho Mafela said.
As outlined in the Operator Licence Agreement, Ithuba has the responsibility to ensure that innovative methods are used in their operations to increase revenue for distribution to good causes that uplift communities, and to attract new players.
The NLC has previously communicated its approval of a proposal from Ithuba to employ a Random Number Generator (RNG) system, Trusted Draw 360 RNG.
Mafela explained that this is a computational device designed to generate a sequence of numbers that lack any pattern.
Periodic testing of RNG is conducted to ensure that the National Lottery draws are fair and conducted with the utmost integrity.
Mafela said they received a report from Ithuba about the draw and have suggested that Ithuba maintains an educational campaign in all media, especially social media, radio and television on the possibilities of winning combinations, the odds of winning and how the RNG works, in order to keep players knowledgeable, and to maintain the integrity of the National Lottery.
The number selection caused quite a stir on social media:
— πΏππππππ-π½πππ πΔπ' πΈπππππ (@Thobeka_Rare) December 2, 2020
— πΏππππππ-π½πππ πΔπ' πΈπππππ (@Thobeka_Rare) December 2, 2020
I bet a Grade R was asked to select this numbers ππ pic.twitter.com/BkmD3W8Awx
— PhumulaniNdlovu7β«β« (@PhumulaniNdlov2) December 1, 2020
5-10? What are the chances mara pic.twitter.com/1dtTl0sQOE
— Ta Mncenge (@BlackPain12) December 1, 2020
IOL