Illinois Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4, Little Lotto and Lotto drawings
are conducted at the studios of WGN-TV, Chicago, and broadcast on
WGN-TV. Mega Millions drawings are conducted by the Georgia Lottery
and simulcast on WGN-TV. All drawing machines and ball sets are
stored in a secured area, under numbered seal, and remain under
constant surveillance during the entire drawing process. Ball sets
are subjected to periodic laboratory testing to ensure they remain
within the manufacturer's tolerances for weight and dimensions.
Pick 3/Pick 4
Pick 3 and Pick 4 drawings are conducted midday (12:40 p.m. Central
Time) Monday through Saturday, and evening (9:22 p.m. Central Time)
Monday through Sunday.
A maximum of 12 drawing machines and 20 ball sets are available
for use in the Pick 3 and Pick 4 drawings. The particular machines
and ball sets to be used for a given drawing are determined by random
selection from among the available machines and ball sets. A special
ball set and drawing machine are used for this random selection.
For each Pick 3/Pick 4 drawing, a total of 8 machines and ball
sets are randomly selected, with the order of random selection determining
how they will be used for that drawing. The 1st machine and ball
set selected will be used as the alternate (backup) for both the
Pick 3/Pick 4 drawings. The 2nd machine and ball set will be used
to select the first Pick 3 winning digit, the 3rd machine and ball
set will be used to select the second Pick 3 winning digit, etc.
Prior to each drawing, the Lottery's auditors conduct a total of
6 test draws on each machine, plus a rehearsal drawing. The balls
are then re-racked in numerical order (with the 9 ball in the lowest
position) and the machines re-sealed until the official drawing
is conducted. After the official drawing, 3 more test draws are
conducted to ensure the validity of the official drawing results.
Little Lotto
Little Lotto drawings are conducted Sunday through Sunday (7
days a week) evenings (9:22 p.m. Central Time).
One drawing machine and a maximum of 3 ball sets are available
for use in each Little Lotto drawing. The particular ball set to
be used for a given drawing is determined by random selection from
among the available ball sets. A special ball set and drawing machine
are used for this random selection.
If the Little Lotto drawing machine is not available due to a malfunction,
and it is not a Lotto drawing night, the Lotto machine is reprogrammed
for the Little Lotto drawing. If the Little Lotto drawing machine
is not available on a Monday, Wednesday or Saturday night, the Lotto drawing is conducted
first, then the Lotto drawing machine is reprogrammed for the Little
Lotto drawing, which is conducted off-air by the auditors.
Prior to each Little Lotto drawing, the Lottery's auditors conduct
a rehearsal drawing. The balls are then re-racked in random order
and the machine re-sealed until the official drawing is conducted.
After the official drawing, one more test draw is conducted to ensure
the validity of the official drawing results.
Lotto
Lotto drawings are conducted Monday, Wednesday and Saturday evenings (9:22
p.m. Central Time).
One drawing machine and a maximum of 3 ball sets are available
for use in each Lotto drawing. The particular ball set to be used
for a given drawing is determined by random selection from among
the available ball sets. A special ball set and drawing machine
are used for this random selection.
If the Lotto drawing machine is not available due to a malfunction,
the Little Lotto machine is reprogrammed for the Lotto drawing.
(If this occurs on a Monday, Wednesday or Saturday night, the Lotto drawing is conducted
first using the Little Lotto machine, then the Little Lotto drawing
machine is reprogrammed again for the Little Lotto drawing, which
is conducted off-air by the auditors.)
Prior to each Lotto drawing, the Lottery's auditors conduct a rehearsal
drawing. The balls are then re-racked in random order and the machine
re-sealed until the official drawing is conducted. After the official
drawing, one more test draw is conducted to ensure the validity
of the official drawing results.
Mega Millions
Mega Millions drawings are conducted Tuesday and Friday evenings
(10:00 p.m. Central Time) by the Georgia Lottery.
One drawing machine is available for the 5/56 portion of Mega Millions
drawing and one machine is available for the 1/46 portion of Mega
Millions drawing. If either machine is out of service, the Georgia
Lottery's Lotto drawing machine is reprogrammed for Mega Millions
drawing. The particular ball set to be used for each component of
a given Mega Millions drawing is determined by random selection from
among the available ball sets.
Prior to each Mega Millions drawing, the Georgia Lottery's Drawing Specialist
conducts 3 test drawings with each machine. The balls are then re-racked
in random order and the machine resealed until the official drawing
is conducted. After the official drawing, 2 more test draws are
conducted with each machine to ensure the validity of the official
drawing results.
