Software
Software is not something that many people associate with lottery games, but it actually plays an important role in both the issuing of tickets and – for some players – the way they select their numbers.
Whenever we go to a lottery retailer and ask for a Lucky Dip or a Quick Pick ticket, the retailer presses a button or two on the terminal and a moment later a fresh ticket emerges with the requested lines of random numbers. Although you might not have given the process much thought, the selection of random numbers doesn’t happen by magic. Instead, a specially written software application kicks in to generate numbers that are genuinely random.
Without software, the automatic generation of random numbers simply wouldn’t be possible, and the retailers would be using a much less effective “blindfold and pin” approach when asked for a Lucky Dip or two.
Lottery players also benefit from software as individuals. There are a number of computer applications available for purchase that will help you to keep track of the numbers previously drawn and then make selections based on the criteria you select. For example, you could get the software to generate a line of the six numbers that have occurred most or least often. You can get some software titles to help you generate lines for wheeling purposes. Or you could simply get your PC to generate its own set of random numbers.
Some software can be accessed from the web itself, meaning that you don’t have to install anything to your own computer. For example, if you visit www.lottery.co.uk/random/ you can obtain random lines for Lotto (or any other 6/49 game), EuroMillions, Thunderball and even the Daily Draw.
Although lottery software will probably always be ignored by the majority of players, understanding the role it plays in our favourite game helps to appreciate the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes. So the next time you ask for a Lucky Dip or Quick Pick line, spare a thought for the programmers who make such a thing possible.
Article Last Updated: 29/05/2008 11:42:42
