SINGAPORE — A software glitch that hit punters who bought certain Toto Quick Pick tickets has now been found to have also affected buyers of some 4D bets and iToto tickets, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on Friday (Jan 31).

Some tickets affected by problems that have beset lottery operator Singapore Pools date back more than three years to October, 2016 — which is two years longer than the affected tickets previously disclosed.

On Jan 15, MHA and Singapore Pools announced that a software glitch affected punters who bought Toto Quick Pick tickets using remote platforms such as the internet, mobile applications and telephone over a 14-month period ending in December, 2019. It said it would refund affected punters as the tickets did not include correctly generated numbers.

In its latest statement, MHA said the glitch also affected buyers of 4D Quick Pick and Quick Pick Roll bets placed by telephone between Oct 2, 2018 and Dec 20, 2019. During that period, the system excluded the numbers “0” and “9”.

Singapore Pools had also found that the earlier software error affected the generation of some iToto numbers purchased via remote platforms and retail outlets from Oct 2, 2018 to Dec 20, 2019. The system also excluded the number “49” from some bets in these instances.

MHA said Singapore Pools had also found that its system generated only unique digits for 4D Quick Pick Roll bets placed via the telephone between Oct 25, 2016 and Jan 22, 2020, as well as 4D Quick Pick bets placed via the telephone between Oct 2, 2018 and Jan 22, 2020.

The Quick Pick system is meant to allow digits to be repeated, rather than selecting only unique digits, MHA added.

With these latest discoveries, the MHA said it has directed the Singapore Pools to take all necessary measures to ensure the integrity of its betting system as it “takes a serious view of the errors” and is investigating them.

Regulatory sanctions under the Remote Gambling Act may be imposed if any breach is determined, it added, pointing out that sanctions may include a censure, a variation of the conditions allowing it to provide remote gambling services, and the imposition of a financial penalty.

In a separate media release on Friday, the Tote Board, a statutory board which oversees Singapore Pools, said that Singapore Pools had rectified the glitches, while it continues to review its systems to ensure their robustness.

A review panel, first announced on Jan 15, has been set up to look at the causes of the glitches, how they were managed and consider measures to be put in place to prevent recurrence.

The panel is chaired by Mr Moses Lee, chairman of the Tote Board, and includes Tote Board board members, Mrs Fang Ai Lian and Mrs Mildred Tan, and Mr Bruce Liang, who is the chief executive officer of Integrated Health Information Systems and chief information officer at the Ministry of Health.