You may wonder how the numbers are picked, how is the process regulated, and how do you read and understand exactly what the online results mean? These are all really great questions! Let’s explore how an internet lottery works and how it ensures that everyone has a fair chance at winning.
What is a Random Number Generator?
The first step in understanding how an internet lottery works is knowing how the numbers are chosen at random. Let’s look at how The Health Lottery uses a Random Number Generator (RNG) to choose the winning numbers for QuickWin lottery draws. An RNG chooses numbers at random that are not reached by mathematical computations or computer algorithms. These numbers are also not linked with a mathematical equation, as that would effectively ruin the random factor of the draw and would corrupt the results of the game. We also use an RNG for our Big Win and All or Nothing draws.
Throughout history, people have sought to leave things to chance and have used dice, cards, and coin flips among other methods to randomly choose outcomes of games, bets, decisions and much more. The Random Number Generator is simply the most modern iteration of these devices.
However, this form of chance can only be fair if it is truly random. In order to ensure that gameplay is fair and equal for all, the Gambling Commission requires that each and every RNG used in Britain be monitored. This is achieved through periodic reports and a back-end process that stores and reports on the game data of each draw or game played. Each time an error is reported, it must be confirmed, then a report must be filed. The Gambling Commission also conducts an annual audit to ensure that all games are operating fairly and equally. Offline and online lottery rules are the same in this regard: all winning numbers must be chosen randomly!
How do I find game results?
Now that you understand how the winning numbers are drawn, let’s take a look at how to see if you have won. There are several ways to do this. One of the easiest is to check your email. When you play The Big Win online The Health Lottery not only sends you an email verifying your ticket for the upcoming draw, but we also send you an email notifying you if you have won. It is hared to win and not know about it when you play our games online having registered a Health Lottery account.
Following lottery rules, we also post all of the winning numbers online at the time of the draw, on our Results page. These numbers remain prominently on the website until the next draw occurs, and you can easily check the last few draws here. We also keep a record of the last 180 days of draws on The Big Win and All or Nothing. You can only claim your prize for this long, so it is worth checking!
You can also find the results on our Facebook and X profiles, and The Big Win draw results are published in The Mirror, The Daily Star and The Daily Express. Plus you can ask a retailer to check a retail ticket for you - they’ll scan it and tell you if it’s a winner!
Each account also has a transaction history that can be viewed when players are logged into their account. If you have won a prize up to £500, then your winnings will automatically be credited into you online wallet, at which point you can withdraw them to your debit card at any time.
At the time of the draw, the Random Number Generator will select the numbers live. If you are playing QuickWin, these will then be displayed in real time on the website as a graphic of a machine drawing numbers. The numbers will be chosen from a system of pre-recorded graphics that are displayed automatically by the computer as the numbers are picked by the generator.
Putting Random Number Generators to work
RNGs can do more than just determine the winning numbers for the lottery. When you say “I want to buy my lottery ticket online but I don’t want to choose my own numbers”, the Random Number Generator determines your numbers for you when you press the Quick Pick button. Alternatively, you can randomise a set of numbers yourself using a third-party RNG, such as a customisable dice roller set to 1-50. If you don’t have your own “lucky numbers” you can let chance take the wheel and hope that your random numbers are the ones that hit it big!
Good causes win every time!
There’s nothing random about the benefit of your play to good causes - win or lose they get a donation every time you play, no matter which of our games you prefer! That’s true whether it’s a draw game that uses an RNG like The Big Win, All or Nothing or QuickWin, but also applies to all our Instant Win online scratch games.
