A television graphic during this week’s lottery draw appeared to predict the winning number, triggering suspicion and outrage among Serbs.
In a live broadcast Tuesday evening, one of the numbers in the winning combination appeared on TV screens before it was actually drawn. That sparked accusations that the numbers had been chosen in advance.
The fourth of five balls drawn by an automatic machine came out as 27, but appeared on the TV graphic as 21. The next ball drawn was 21.
A lottery official said it was “pure coincidence” that the graphic would post the number 21 ball, only for it to actually be the next number, according to The Guardian.
News of the lottery dominated headlines in the Serbian press. “Police chase ball No. 21,” read the headline in the newspaper Vecernje Novosti, according to the Daily Mail.
Several videos of the entire television lottery drawing have popped up on YouTube, sparking heated comments.
The State Lottery has denied fraud and blamed the incident on a “technical mistake.” Company head, Aleksandar Vulovic, said Thursday that he was stepping down out of “moral obligation,” according to a CBS News report citing the Associated Press.
“The draw was completely in accordance with the rules and the company abides by the law,” the state lottery said in a statement.
Serbian prime minister Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday during a news conference: “If there was any criminal activity these people will answer to the law. The path to prison is very short,” according to The Guardian.
Police said they questioned six people connected with the lottery. Lottery employees, including the spokesmodel host, who was the only person seen during the draw will undergo a lie detector test.
Computers and lottery equipment have been impounded.
The lottery is popular in Serbia, a Balkan country with a poor economy and widespread corruption.
