Montana Millionaire Ticket Sales Postponed
The Montana Lottery has identified three technical issues behind Sunday's Montana Millionaire ticket sales disruption, including system capacity problems and instant-win prizes being awarded more frequently than intended, as officials work to determine when sales can resume.
The lottery announced the postponement around 11 a.m., several hours after tickets were scheduled to go on sale at 5:30 a.m. Officials said they are working with their gaming vendor, Bally's Intralot, to resolve the issues before announcing a new sales date.
In a statement Sunday, the Montana Lottery identified three problems affecting the game. The first involved system performance, with a high volume of simultaneous transactions causing issues during ticket sales. The lottery said it is working with Bally's Intralot to determine the cause and prevent similar problems in the future.
The second issue involved instant-win prizes being awarded more frequently than intended during the brief sales period. To maintain the game's integrity, the lottery estimates it will add approximately $500,000 in instant-win prizes back into the remaining tickets, according to the release.
The lottery also identified problems with the Montana Millionaire information feed on its website and mobile platforms, which prevented game information from displaying as expected.
The issues occurred during the first year Montana Millionaire has operated on a new central gaming system provided by Bally's Intralot. The lottery transitioned to the system in September.
In its statement, the Montana Lottery apologized to players and sales agents for the frustration and inconvenience, thanking them for their patience as the issues are addressed.
A new sales date and time have not yet been announced as of Sunday evening.
