DC Lottery’s DC 3, DC 4, and DC 5 Drawings Issue Rectified

Washington, DC— A programming issue that impacted three weeks of DC 3, DC 4, and DC 5’s drawings was discovered and attributed to human error made by an outside, third-party vendor, the DC Lottery announced last week.

Between March 31, 2026, and April 21, 2026, the coding error prevented DC Lottery’s draw machines from producing duplicate numbers (e.g., 111, 7765, 89843, etc.) for the mid-day and evening drawings. The night draw (11:30 p.m.) was not impacted.  

“We are confident that we have identified and corrected the issue. We are committed to making it right for our players and appreciate their patience over the past few days,” said DC Lottery Executive Director Randy Burnside. “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.” 

The DC Lottery is providing coupons, free plays, and additional chances to win for players who selected two or more of the same numbers in a play for the DC 3, DC 4, or DC 5 mid-day or evening drawings over the span of 22 days (March 31, 2026 – April 21, 2026). 

For those who played online or on the Official DC Lottery App, the DC Lottery is offering free plays equal to the value of the affected play. Those accounts will be automatically credited.  

For those who played at a retail location and have their ticket, the DC Lottery is offering a coupon equal to the value of the affected play that can be used at retail. Players should hold on to their tickets as they will need to be surrendered to claim a coupon. The claims process will begin on May 18, 2026, and as that date approaches, details will be available on dclottery.com. Claims will be processed in person and via mail.

For players who played at retail and no longer have tickets, starting today through the end of June, players who register for a DC iLottery account and log in will receive $10 in free play for DC 3, DC 4, or DC 5. The minimum deposit requirement has been waived for this promotion. Visit dcilottery.com for details. 

Also beginning on May 18, 2026, the DC Lottery will launch a Numbers Game 2nd Chance contest for affected players, with $150,000 in prizes that include a top prize of $25,000 and additional prizes of $1,000, $250, and $50.

Players with questions should contact the DC Lottery Prize Center at 202-645-8000. The Prize Center can be reached Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 

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Since its inception in 1982, the DC Lottery has awarded $5 billion in prizes, transferred more than $2.43 billion to the District’s General Fund, which supports essential services in the District, awarded $513 million in commissions to retailers, and has helped local nonprofits raise more than $141.5 million in support of social causes. To learn more, visit dclottery.com.