Drawings and Broadcasts

Drawings are broadcast from the Texas Lottery Commission Drawings Studio at 601 E. Sixth St., in the historic downtown area of Austin, Texas. Every drawing is broadcast in both English and Spanish. The drawings are also closed captioned for the hearing impaired. Any television station in Texas may receive and broadcast Texas Lottery drawings free of charge. Individual television broadcasters choose whether to broadcast the drawings.

The Drawings Studio is a state-of-the-art facility designed to maximize public viewing of the drawings, while maintaining the highest level of security. The Drawings Studio is equipped with robotic cameras operated by remote control from a separate room. These special cameras minimize the number of people who work on the studio floor and in and around the drawing machines and ball sets. The Drawings Studio also features a viewing area reserved for visitors, with group seating and a full view of the drawing and the official broadcast.

The Texas Lottery performs drawings according to detailed written procedures. The following information is only a summary and introduction to the drawings process and the security measures used to protect the integrity of Texas Lottery drawings.

The drawing area of the Studio is secured by a locked steel door, magnetic door locks, an alarm system, and a motion detector. In addition, a numbered tamper-evident seal is attached to the steel door when drawing personnel are not present in the Studio. The number printed on the seal is logged and checked every time this door is opened.

Ball sets and drawing machines used for drawings are stored in a secure storage room at the Drawings Studio. This storage room is secured by a locked steel door, magnetic locks, an alarm system, and a motion detector. In addition, a numbered tamper-evident seal is attached to the door of the storage room when drawing personnel are not present. The number printed on the seal is logged and checked when the storage room is opened.

The Texas Lottery owns five Lotto Texas drawing machines manufactured by Garron Lottery Products Inc., of Baltimore, Maryland. The Lotto Texas drawing machines use natural rubber ball sets. The Texas Lottery uses five ball sets for Lotto Texas, one ball set is always held in reserve.

The Texas Lottery owns three Cash Five drawing machines manufactured by Garron Lottery Products Inc., of Baltimore, Maryland. The Cash Five drawing machines use Ping Pong style ball sets. The Texas Lottery uses seven ball sets for Cash Five, one ball set is always held in reserve.

The Texas Lottery owns three Texas Two Step drawing machines manufactured by Garron Lottery Products Inc., of Baltimore, Maryland. The Texas Two Step drawing machines use Ping Pong style ball sets. The Texas Lottery uses five ball sets for Texas Two Step, one ball set is always held in reserve.

The Texas Lottery has two Daily 4 drawing machines manufactured by Garron Lottery Products, Inc., of Baltimore, Maryland. The Daily 4 drawing machines use Ping Pong style ball sets. The Texas Lottery uses 12 ball sets for Daily 4, four ball sets are always held in reserve.

The Texas Lottery owns three Pick 3 drawing machines manufactured by SmartPlay International Inc., of Edgewater Park, New Jersey. The Pick 3 drawing machines use Ping Pong style ball sets. The Texas Lottery uses thirteen ball sets for Pick 3, three ball sets are always held in reserve.

All drawing machines are rotated monthly according to a planned schedule. The designated ball sets (the ball sets used for the official drawing) and the alternate ball sets are selected randomly before each drawing.

The ball sets are weighed in accordance with procedures and a planned schedule. The Independent Accounting Firm observes and certifies the internal weighing of ball sets. Each ball must meet very strict weight guidelines: The weight of each Ping Pong style ball must fall within +/- 0.095 grams of the average weight of the ball set. The weight of each natural-rubber ball must fall within +/- 1 gram of the average weight of the ball set.

All Texas Lottery drawings are open to the public and are certified by an Independent Accounting Firm. Every step of the drawing process is recorded by a video recording system and by official documents maintained by both the Texas Lottery Commission and the Independent Accounting Firm. All ball set weights, pre-test results, and official drawing results are reviewed by an Independent Statistician.