Montana Lottery Glitch Led to Excess Winners

A technical glitch occurred in Montana Lottery's Montana Millionaire game. Due to the malfunction, instant prizes were awarded at about 11 times the normal rate. The problem appeared on Sunday, November 1, when the game went on sale with a drawing.

It took half an hour before officials noticed the malfunction and stopped ticket sales, and during that time 12,919 tickets were sold. According to local news outlets, players had lined up at gas stations early in the morning. Because of the malfunction, 2,010 instant winners emerged. This means that roughly one in every six players won. The planned rate, however, was one in 74 tickets.

Of the prizes to be paid to players, 991 are worth $100 and 1,019 are worth $500. The total payout will be $608,600. Montana Lottery said it would reload new instant prizes, which will increase the chances of new players winning. Existing tickets will also keep their eligibility for the major drawing on December 28, where six prizes of $1 million will be awarded.

The malfunction was attributed to Bally's Intralot's new central gaming system, which was put into service in September. Bally's Intralot agreed to cover the costs caused by the malfunction. Montana Lottery officials praised the company, saying it had done the right thing. It has not yet been announced when sales will resume.