Billions of lottery tickets are in circulation around the globe. Such massive inventory requires a sizable logistical supply chain. You should not be surprised to learn that entire printing shops are dedicated exclusively to producing lottery tickets.
And national lotteries can be very picky about who can produce their tickets. We are not going to dive seriously into the regulations but will try to shine a light on the technical aspects of the production and distribution of lottery tickets. Let’s see how lottery tickets are made.
Who Manufactures Lottery Tickets
There are different types of lotteries, and in turn, there are different types of lottery tickets. Logically, the organizer of a lottery game is responsible for designing and reproducing the lottery tickets. Each lottery strives to have a unique ticket, incorporating its logo and an appropriate layout to accommodate the selected lottery numbers.
Lotteries either outsource the design of tickets to graphic studios or do it in-house. However, in most cases, the physical reproduction of tickets is done by printing shops, often from other countries. For example, for years Canadian based lottery ticket printer Pollard Banknote produced lottery tickets for the Michigan State lottery. The manufacturing process varies depending on the type of lottery ticket, so instead of talking in general terms, let’s offer some specific details.
Lottery Draw Tickets
The manufacture of lottery draw tickets is the simplest compared to other forms of lottery tickets. The entire process is streamlined because most lotteries use a single template for their lottery ticket. This uniformed appearance allows mass production, not requiring additional materials or complex techniques. You only need a ton of paper, some paint and a printing press.
Depending on the lottery game and jurisdiction, players can mark their chosen numbers on the preprinted ticket. However, most lottery slips are printed onsite at retail venues by a clerk or a lottery vending machine, with the crucial information stored in a digital database. In all cases, the “blank” lottery ticket is identical.
Instant Win Tickets
Scratch cards or instant win tickets are a different story. It’s not that every ticket has to be unique, because often the pattern of symbols repeats across thousands of tickets, but there still has to be diversity.
Additionally, the serial numbers of the tickets mustn’t be in sequence, which could betray the prize pool for a given lot of tickets. This randomness is achieved with special software used during the printing process to mix the serial numbers, making it impossible to deduce which ticket offers what type of prize.
Scratch-off tickets are printed on paper or plastic and coated in an opaque substance like silicone to conceal the symbols and numbers. The manufacturing process is more intense and requires more resources.
What the Future Holds for Lottery Tickets
Although lottery tickets can expire, paper lottery tickets are not going out of fashion any time soon. However, online tickets have been available for years and are cheaper, requiring only the design effort and the software used to run the games. These are usually one time investments, and can be used reliably for years. At the same time, buying lottery ticket online is more convenient and allows you to play different lottery games.
The biggest investment in the future will focus on encryption technology to safeguard the integrity of the lottery. It will be nearly impossible for fraudsters to forge winning tickets. New printing technology and coating substances will make manufacturers of instant win tickets cheaper, resulting in budget-friendly lottery games holding the potential for big jackpot wins.