Software error leads to special California Lottery promotion 

California Lottery officials have announced a special promotion for Daily Derby players after a software error affected lottery ticket machines. 

Daily Derby is one of eight draw games offered by the California Lottery where players select two sets of three numbers: the first numbers representing three horses to finish first, second and third, and the second set represents the winning race time. 

According to a press release, lottery players’ odds of winning were not impacted by the error, but the prize amounts for winning tickets may have been affected “for a subset of players.” 

“The software error affected two specific kinds of California Lottery ticket machines and only under certain circumstances, depending on how a person chose to play and purchase tickets,” lottery officials stated.  “The error only impacted those who used the QuickPick option…[which is for] players who don’t want to choose their own numbers and instead prefer the gaming system selects for them.” 

Those who used the QuickPick option received tickets with numbers only in ascending order, and the software issue also affected the race time number selections in some cases, with numbers only being printed on tickets in ascending order and with no repeating digits. 

Officials released a statement summarizing the software error: 

“Although the odds of winning were not affected, prize payments on winning Daily Derby tickets may have been impacted by the software error.  In California, prize amounts are split among the number of players who won in the same way.  Because the error resulted in a subset of players having access to limited combinations of numbers, more winners were likely produced when these limited combinations turned out to be selected than in cases where the winning numbers matched those from the larger pool of all possible combinations.” 

The error was traced back to a programming mistake by International Game Technology, the state lottery’s gaming partner. 

Upon discovery of the error, the California Lottery worked quickly to correct it within 24 hours, officials said. 

It was also announced by lottery officials that beginning Tuesday, the overall prize pool for Daily Derby will be boosted by $100,000 each day for 12 days, meaning that winners at any prize level will have the opportunity to win bigger prizes than they normally would. 

The added money will remain in the pot until someone wins the top prize, even after the original 12-day promotion, lottery officials added.  The funds will come from International Game Technology and not funds directed towards California public education. 

Preliminary estimates by state lottery business analysts indicate that approximately 20% of Daily Derby wagers were affected by the error, which translates into about four million each year; for context, California Lottery officials say that more popular games like the Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots generate hundreds of millions of wagers each year. 

More information about Daily Derby can be found here.