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Programmer Remembers First Lottery Computer20 May 2002MIDLAND, Michigan – As reported by the Associated Press: "People sometimes ask John Holder for tips on playing the state lottery. After all, he designed the computer system for Michigan's first lottery. "Holder's answer is always the same: nothing, because computers are clueless. "The Midland native who returned to his hometown to work as a free-lance programmer and consultant was surprised by the offer to do the lottery work. "…Holder, whose gambling experience was limited to card games with dimes and quarters, made the move from California to Michigan to take the job. "`Like gambling, the job itself was a very high-stakes poker game,' Holder said. "For each minute the computer system was down, Datatroll, the state's main contractor for its then new computerized lottery system, was fined $10,000. "…The software he used had been used in the state police's Law Enforcement Information Network, in hospitals to link staff members and to link tellers and ATM machines with banks. "For the lottery, it connected ticket agent machines with a database of all the bets placed. "…After Datatroll lost the lottery contract, Holder went on to work for a small company in Memphis, Tenn., that had an idea about shipping packages around the country. "…That little company is now Federal Express Corp." |