Way back when the lottery was actually drawn at one of the local television stations I called the lottery and asked to view personally the megabucks drawing. I was some surprised that you have to give them your Social Security number and the lottery will check your background. Then the rules made it a little bit difficult in that you had to get into the building by five o'clock because the doors are locked but the drawing doesn't occur until seven.
I was met at the door by the girl you used to see on the TV actually drawing the numbers, state police Detective,a technician and some sort of auditor.
During the two hours they talked to me about the procedure and then they went through the procedure in front of me.

Turned out at the time that they would have three complete set of ping-pong balls and they did a test drawing three times. If any one ball should come up all three drawings they went to a second set and so on until three drawings did not reuse any one ball three times. That night the first set passed the test.
As they were testing the ping-pong balls I started to walk over to the machine to look down at what was inside. The state police detective stop me and said I couldn't do that. I asked why. He said he couldn't tell me. I asked is that because you don't know or is there some rule against telling me? He said I can't tell you. Then I asked why the auditor was on his laptop computer that was plugged into an Internet connection and who was he talking to. The state officer told me he couldn't tell me. I asked is that because you don't know or you're not allowed to tell me. I can't tell you he said.
Next I noticed in the little room where all of the equipment was kept two canisters approximately 3 gallon size labeled helium. I asked the state police officer what the helium was for. He said he couldn't tell me, again I ask is that because you don't know or you can't tell me because of a rule. He said I can't tell you.
I asked the officer if he was questioning me and I gave this answer three times would he suspected I was guilty of something, he said yes.

Some years later after the new lottery building was built by the Salem Airport will I asked to see the drawing again. Same process with the background check. They called me about two days after my application and said, you've done this before. I said yes is that a problem. No it is just nobody ever has come twice before.
On that visit I went to the lottery building about 6;30 waiting for the seven o'clock drawing. There were no cars in the parking lot, no lights on in the building. I was really thinking I was at the wrong place but decided to wait until seven just to see. About three minutes to seven somebody came to the door and asked who I was. I told her and she let me in. I was led to a very short bench that you might see at a high school outdoor event that was in the small indentation in a long hallway this is where the lottery in Pong ball machine was already set up the drawing was done and I was shown the door. It all took about about 12 minutes. No unnecessary talking, no niceties just sit down and watch get out.

Perhaps you remember back when you went to buy your lottery ticket and had to tell them at the time whether you are going to take the cash price or the annuity. I called the lottery and asked why. I was told it was because there was a difference in taxes whether you chose one or the other. I asked how that made a difference before the drawing was drawn. Well it makes a difference in how much taxes are taken out was the answer again. I stopped to think about that why should it make a difference to lottery. The taxes paid would be coming from the winnings that are paid out to the winner but what really ended up making a difference was how much it would cost the lottery for that winning purse. Accepting the prize all at once the lottery knew what was going to cost them and it was less than if they had to pay into an annuity because of the fluctuating interest rates that determines how much had to go into create that annuity. Now then the only reason to ask which way you wanted your price paid out would be if they had away to be sure those who are going for the annuity didn't win.
Shortly after I badgered them on this point they stopped asking how you wanted your payout when buying your ticket so it was printed on the ticket.

My conclusion is that the lottery is fixed.
That's why I wasn't allowed to look at the inside of the machine that puts out the ping-pong balls, probably why somebody is connected to the lottery computer prior to the drawing and there must be some reason for the helium. All of which nobody is allowed to see any more.