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Doubts have been cast on the integrity of the lottery draw in South Korea after two bumper jackpot winning tickets came from the same lottery vendor.
We often hear the phrase ‘one in a million’ on the prospects of landing a dream win, but the chances of two winners emanating from the same outlet have been given as 64 trillion to 1.
It is not a surprise that suspicion has followed the March 1 draw of the Donghaeng Lottery in South Korea, but representatives for the government-operated game insist no foul play has occurred.
Two winning tickets from the same machine for the same draw is almost unheard of, but officials have insisted there has been no manipulation.
As reported by The Times, the two tickets came from a modest outlet in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, which surrounds the capital Seoul, but they weren’t the only winners last Saturday.
In total, 16 jackpot-winning tickets shared the pot.
Precedent for controversy
Lottery officials are adamant that a rare coincidence has unfolded, but social media has been rife with conspiracy theories, emboldened by the fact that lottery winners aren’t announced in South Korea, unlike other countries.
South Korea’s Ministry of Economy and Finance commented to rule out the prospect of tampering:
“The ministry noted that sales terminals in retail stores are automatically disconnected from the server 35 minutes before the draw, which makes post-draw ticket issuance impossible.”
There is a precedent for the South Korean lottery system being questioned after a 2023 instance of many winners sharing the jackpot led to a probe, but experts declared the competition was safe.
To reassure the general public, live draws were made in front of reporters and ordinary people.
Last year, a massive 63 winners shared the first prize in a July draw.
This led to the government ministry holding a ‘lottery day’ to promote the virtues of the game’s fairness and offering to the South Korean public.
Image credit: Via Midjourney
