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An “impossible” number was drawn in a Bulgarian lottery draw, prompting disbelief from the presenter and creating mass confusion for the live television broadcast.
In Eastern Europe, the Bulgarian Sports Totalizator’s (BST) “5 out of 35” game sees five regular number balls drawn from the machine, accompanied by two bonus balls.
However, in the most recent draw on Sunday (March 23), the fifth ball to complete the regular set was 41, an impossible outcome for this game.
The unprecedented mistake quickly went viral on social media for obvious reasons, followed by a full re-draw on the live national broadcast with the huge error acknowledged.
The initial sequence of numbers in the draw (31, 35, 29, 28, and 42, with additional numbers 3, and 1) was declared void and replaced with the approved combination (2, 8, 14, 22, and 29 with additional numbers 1 and 1).”
BST later explained that the mistake occurred due to “loading a different set of balls into the draw machine”, adding that technical issues are a common feature of live broadcasts.
There are technical problems and then there are catastrophic mistakes!
Full-scale multi-agency investigation
The lottery body’s explanation was not accepted by various political and regulatory figures.
Late on Sunday night, Bulgarian member of parliament and leader of the New Beginning party, Delyan Peevski, called for the country’s Sports Minister, Ivan Peshev, to cull the executive leadership of BST.
Those individuals are set to be removed from their positions, with an extensive probe to include the National Revenue Agency, the Prosecutor’s Office, the Ministry of Interior, the State Financial Inspection Agency, and the State Agency for Metrological and Technical Supervision in a full investigation.
The Sports Ministry has insisted such mistakes are unacceptable, that the situation cannot be repeated, and full robust action is required to restore the integrity of live lottery broadcasts and the support of the public.
By 10 pm on Sunday, the Bulgarian lottery website could not be accessed, prompting further debate and speculation on the controversy.
Image credit: Grok/X
