Irish Lotto explains why ball 38 appeared to show 33 on air

In the Lotto Plus 1 draw on the evening of Saturday 7 October 2017, the second ball out was number 38. For a moment on screen it seemed to show 33 as well. Viewers shared pictures online, and some claimed the draw had been rigged.

In a statement the next day, the Irish National Lottery said a brief reflection of light during filming had created the illusion. When the fourth ball came out, it nudged ball 38 into a streak of light on the glass tube that holds the drawn balls.

The lottery said every ball is checked for size and weight, and its numbers inspected, before each draw. Its auditors, KPMG, independently observe both those checks and the draw.

The lottery stood by the result. The winning Plus 1 numbers were 1, 4, 29, 38, 45 and 46, with bonus 26, and the top prize in that draw was €500,000.

Sources

• Irish Times: Lotto clarifies illusion after ball appeared to have two numbers (irishtimes.com)
• Irish Post: Irish Lotto accused of fixing draw, light blamed (irishpost.com)