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During the latest draw of the Bulgarian Sports Totalizator’s (BST) "5 out of 35" game, an unprecedented mistake occurred when a ball with the number 41 was drawn—an impossible outcome for the game. The incident, broadcast live on Bulgarian National Television, left host Deyan Slavchev - "Deo" visibly stunned. The blunder quickly went viral on social media, sparking widespread reactions.
Immediately after the mistake, a second draw was conducted within the live broadcast to correct the error. BST later explained that the mistake was due to "loading a different set of balls into the gaming facility" during the Second Toto Chance – 5 out of 35, leading to the erroneous draw. To comply with game regulations, the initially drawn combination of "31, 35, 29, 28, and 41 with additional numbers 3 and 1" was annulled and replaced with the correct combination: "2, 8, 14, 22, 29 with additional numbers 1 and 1." The organization apologized to participants, emphasizing that such technical issues are not uncommon in live broadcasts.
The incident prompted immediate political and regulatory action. Following calls from "DPS-New Beginning" leader Delyan Peevski, Minister of Youth and Sports Ivan Peshev ordered an urgent inspection of BST’s operations regarding the compromised draw. The Ministry of Youth and Sports (MMS) issued a statement expressing serious concern over the error, stating that misleading thousands of players undermines trust in the lottery system.
As a result, the ministry has involved the National Revenue Agency, the Prosecutor’s Office, the Ministry of Interior, the State Financial Inspection Agency, and the State Agency for Metrological and Technical Supervision in a full investigation. The entire BST management team, along with those directly responsible for the mistake, will be dismissed. The ministry emphasized that such errors must not be repeated and reiterated its commitment to ensuring the integrity of lottery games through live broadcasts and enhanced oversight.
Meanwhile, the BST’s official website became inaccessible by 10 p.m., further fueling public debate over the controversy.
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