DC Lottery Resolves Coding Error, Trying To Make It Up To Players

Affected customers to receive coupons, free plays, additional chances to win

Last updated: April 28, 2026

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To err is human; to forgive, divine. At least that’s the philosophy currently being adopted by the folks running the DC Lottery.

A coding error discovered last week that impacted the previous three weeks’ worth of drawings has been fixed, the DC Lottery announced Monday, and the goal now is to make it up to players who bought negatively impacted tickets.

In all DC 3, DC 4, and DC 5 mid-day and evening drawings from March 31-April 21, a “configuration issue” apparently caused by third-party vendor Smartplay made it impossible for any single digit to come up twice in a drawing — rendering a combination such as “1-2-3-2” a guaranteed loser.

“We are confident that we have identified and corrected the issue,” said DC Lottery Executive Director Randy Burnside in a statement posted Monday. “We are committed to making it right for our players and appreciate their patience over the past few days. We have the best players in the world and will be providing them with additional opportunities to win over the course of the next several months.”

As far as that commitment to “making it right” goes, the DC Lottery says it is providing coupons, free plays, and additional chances to win to players who held tickets with repeat numbers for the affected drawing.

Specifics of the make-good effort

The redemption options vary depending on how affected tickets were purchased.

Those who bought their lottery tickets online will see their accounts automatically credited with free plays equal to the value of the tickets they bought that had no chance to win.

It’s usually a slight exaggeration when someone says of playing the lottery, “You have no chance of winning.” In the case of certain DC Lottery draw games from March 31 through this Tuesday, April 21, however, some tickets did in fact have no chance of winning.
— Lottery Geeks (@lotterygeeks) April 23, 2026

Those who bought their tickets at a retail location can claim a coupon equal to the ticket value beginning on May 18, provided they retained possession of the impacted tickets. Others who played in person but no longer possess the physical tickets can register for a DC iLottery account and, with no minimum deposit required, receive $10 in free play for DC 3, DC 4, or DC 5.

On top of that, beginning on May 18, the DC Lottery will launch a Numbers Game 2nd Chance contest specifically for affected players, giving out $150,000 in prizes, including a top prize of $25,000.

Players with questions are advised to contact the DC Lottery Prize Center at 202-645-8000.