Electronic draws – transparent and secure

The modern technology behind the adessoDraws solution strengthens trust in gaming providers

	adessoDraws is the world’s first completely transparent, reproducible, and auditable solution for secure electronic draws of winning numbers.

Gaming providers have enormously high requirements for electronic draw systems for winning numbers. adesso has developed a system that provides the right solution for every challenge: adessoDraws.

Thanks to blockchain technology and the usage of an open-source algorithm as a random number generator (RNG), the drawing of winning numbers is completely transparent, allowing full traceability for all, as well as reproducibility. adessoDraws can increase the level of trust placed in the secure drawing of winning numbers by lottery players, for any gaming company.

This makes adessoDraws the ideal solution for lotteries with frequent draws that must meet the most exacting standards.

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Challenges and strengths of electronic draw systems

Most of the known electronic draw systems (EDS) currently on the market suffer from inherent weaknesses and residual risks with regard to security and integrity. Regardless of whether they are in-house developments, proprietary, or commercially available, there are virtually no completely tamper-proof systems available. Insider threats (such as manipulation by the solution developer) endure despite strenuous risk mitigation efforts.

In general, existing systems are lacking one or more of the fundamental principles required for absolute security and integrity of the system:

unpredictability,
reproducibility (auditability),
transparency,
non-repudiation, as well as,
traceability and
inspection of the draw process by an observer or the public.

However sophisticated the EDS may be – observing an electronic draw where a key is pressed on a computer and the winning numbers appear on screen leaves the observer wondering where these numbers came from. It is only adessoDraws that allows the public to retrace each individual step leading to the drawing of the winning numbers – and to reproduce these. This is a unique form of reproducibility, which even traditional, manual draw machines are unable to emulate.

adessoDraws is the solution for electronic draws

Why do we place such emphasis on the quality criteria, if even a manual draw with a traditional draw machine cannot hope to meet them? Because we can!

Up to now, lottery providers have always been forced to compromise when choosing between systems with clear, inherent shortcomings.

adessoDraws is the first system that enables all quality criteria to be met without accepting any compromises.

adessoDraws is the world’s only method to completely meet the fundamental quality criteria for electronic draws. The principles underpinning the basic prerequisite for performing electronic draws are public trust (and trust of all stakeholders) in the applied method and thereby in the draw itself.

Whitepaper

How adessoDraws functions on a technical level

Random numbers are drawn in three phases in adessoDraws, the Commit phase, the Draw phase, and the Reveal phase. If you are interested in finding out more about the technical background of adessoDraws and would like to understand exactly how the system works, download our white paper about electronic draws here.

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How does adessoDraws meet all the requirements?

All the systems we are aware of currently suffer from one of the following problems: they may be hardware random generators that use a physical process to determine the random numbers. By their very nature, it is impossible to predict the random numbers from a physical process of this type, which can be based on a quantum phenomenon. However, the generation of random numbers is complex and is not transparent, making it particularly difficult for lottery players to understand. Other solutions based on pseudo-random generators rely on the selection of a random seed. A seed is the initial value that is required for an existing and generally recognized deterministic algorithm to run the process to generate random numbers. The algorithm will always return the same values when using the same seed. Only the generation of the seed is truly a random act.

Blockchain forms the basis for adessoDraws functions

We looked further afield to find the perfect seed, which generates and logs on a decentralized, public basis and thereby enjoys the best possible protection.

The solution lies in blockchain technology!

adessoDraws uses these publicly visible, random values that cannot be identified in advance to determine the winning numbers with an RNG that is also publicly visible.

This simple procedure guarantees absolute unpredictability, non-repudiation, reproducibility, transparency, and comprehensibility. Anyone can inspect and understand the process – even the lottery players themselves.

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What makes adessoDraws revolutionary – benefits

adessoDraws is blazing a trail for the entire lottery industry by fulfilling the central requirements for an electronic draw system. The key factor is that adessoDraws provides lotteries with the crucial prerequisite for sustainable customer relationships: public trust (and the trust of all stakeholders) in the applied method and thereby in the draws for winning numbers.

Randomness

It is an obvious expectation that the drawing method utilized generates random numbers. If a software algorithm is utilized, the randomness generated relies on the source of entropy for the seed generation. This entropy source provides the randomness in the process, the algorithm itself serves as a means to convert entropy into understandable randomness, and ultimately winning numbers. It is critical that any electronic draw solution is adequately tested and certified against industry standards and specifications for randomness and distribution.

Unpredictability

The hash for a cryptocurrency block is calculated by numerous independent computers in a peer-to-peer network, under the stipulation of solving a mathematical problem (proof of work) or providing comparable proof. Just one single hash calculation is successful (the one for the successful miner). This is logged in the blockchain and cannot be manipulated. It is not possible to predict or manipulate this value.

Reproducibility and auditability

Each individual step in the draw is logged, allowing inspection by a person authorized to conduct the draw, for example. Gap-free logging of seed generation and the concomitant publication of all values for the calculation of the seed ensure that it is possible to reproduce the draw of the winning numbers at any time. adessoDraws uses publicly accessible software-based random number generators. This makes it possible for lottery players to trace draws, for example.

Transparency and Non-rRepudiation

The hash values for the blockchains are publicly visible. This makes it very easy to confirm without repudiation that the seed used has been generated from the blockchains involved. The rest of the draw process can be traced, step by step.

Understandability (black box factor)

The factors listed above and the simplicity of the method enable anyone to fully comprehend the entirety of the solution (while the core functions for all other known systems still represent a “black box” for many observers - even those of a technical disposition).

adessoDraws FAQ

Which software model is adessoDraws based on?

adessoDraws can be used as Software as a Service (SaaS) – or to be more precise: it is a Draws as a Service (DaaS) solution. That means that adesso is responsible for hosting. However, it is also possible for lottery providers to implement the software in their IT landscape and to take over maintenance themselves.

How is it possible to avoid dependencies on individual blockchains?

The optional inclusion of multiple blockchains means that it is possible to generate the seed from a mathematical combination of various hashes and a second source of randomness.

What happens when multiple users implement the adessoDraws method and potentially use the same sources (hashes) for their draws?

This leads to the possibility of generating identical draw results – and that is a problem. adessoDraws solves this problem by using a combination of a unique lottery ID and the second source of randomness, which is added to the seed calculation in a mathematically correct (e.g. XOR technique) and transparent manner.