A technical glitch disrupted the National Lottery’s Lotto draw on Saturday evening, creating significant viewer confusion. The interruption occurred when the bonus ball failed to drop as expected, resulting in an abrupt cut-off of the live broadcast.
Details of the Technical Glitch
Allwyn, the current operator of the National Lottery, confirmed the situation. They announced that the draw was paused because of the issue with the bonus ball. An alternative machine will be used to resume the draw, and an independent adjudicator will oversee the process.
Draw Resumption
- The winning numbers were ultimately drawn later that evening.
- The exact cause of the technical fault remains unclear.
- Allwyn expressed their intent to publish verified results on national-lottery.co.uk that evening.
- They also apologized to viewers for the unexpected delay.
Impact on Viewers
During the incident, the live stream of the draw was unavailable on the National Lottery’s YouTube channel, further frustrating fans and participants. The technical issue raised questions about the reliability of the draw’s execution.
Background of the National Lottery
The National Lottery has experienced significant changes recently. In 2024, Allwyn became the first new operator in three decades, taking over from Camelot, which had managed the lottery since its inception in 1994. Camelot’s license expired in January of the previous year.
Allwyn was awarded a ten-year license to operate the lottery. The company oversees the draw from the former Camelot offices, with Allwyn Entertainment being owned by Czech entrepreneur Karel Komarek.
