Officespotter

The lottery sweepstakes are another kind of bonus article for you. It all began when we contacted the National Gambling Co. to ask them whether they would allow us to visit their office building. Instead of opening their doors, they suggested we visit the studio where the lottery numbers are chosen.

And so we popped in the car and drove to Fortuna Studios, located behind the Pólus Center mall, where they have been pulling numbers for millions for years now.

The place obviously has a well planned and professional infrastructure, including a refreshment bar and cloakroom for guests. Inside there are multiple studios, a large one where the biggest, 5-number draw lottery is drawn with a show included, as well as other small studios, such as where they draw the numbers for Keno as well.

So it is we begin our tour in the Keno studio, as István Gy. Tóth, head of the sweepstakes tells us recording will begin soon, we should quickly take some pictures now. The studio is small, yet a few people arrive for the drawing. There’s no need for a cameraman thanks to the anchored cameras, but those present are: the presenter, the producer, the notary, the president of the sweepstakes board and us two.

As can be expected, there is a high level of discipline during regarding everything that happens. Following the drawing of the numbers, the notary reads out the numbers so they can be documented in the official report. After he begins the numbers with 84, the strict atmosphere dissolves immediately. The producer gently reminds the notary that the number only go up to 80, after which the correct number of 48 is read.

The Keno reel is quickly cut and edited, and goes straight on air. Meanwhile, we quickly go down to the 5-number lottery draw, as the shoot will begin shortly.

The audience is already being hyped, which is no small feat considering the average age is over 60. This is important though, as the audience must take up the radiant excitement of the show, and must jump right out of their seats when the lucky one is chosen to help pick the numbers.

Since an entire show is associated with the draw, including dancers and singers, a lot of people have to be coordinated by those in charge. Of course they have quite a bit of experience in this, as the show has been going on for over 10 years.

After the show, we take a look at the storage room where the older, used drawing machines are stored. Following this bit of nostalgia, we are also shown the locked room (locked also with an official notary stamp) where the current machines and numbers are kept.

Securely storing the numbers is essential, and is one of the most important aspects of the entire operation. They even have a temporary set of numbers for use during the rehearsal shoots, and the real ones are only taken out of storage for the live show. As soon as the show is over, the numbers are taken back to the storage room and are locked securely.

The mood, despite all the precision in the routine, is pleasant, or at least everyone is nice to us, and gladly tell us stories and secrets of the trade. In the end, we thank everyone for showing us around, and leave disappointed: the lottery numbers we bought for the occasion failed to get a single hit. Oh well, maybe next week.