Legal Action Filed Over Lottery Error in Israel's Mifal HaPais 'Chance' Drawing

Two class-action lawsuits were filed on Sunday at the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court against Mifal HaPais, Israel's national lottery, over a significant error in the 'Chance' lottery drawing number 53365 held on August 7, 2026. The lawsuits claim that lottery balls were loaded into the drawing machines in the wrong order, causing the live broadcast and official graphic results to be completely incorrect. Mifal HaPais later acknowledged the human error and published corrected results that differed from the originally announced ones.

The plaintiffs argue that this mistake caused real harm to participants who relied on the initial results, with many discarding their tickets they believed were losing based on the erroneous broadcast. When the corrected results were released, these participants lost the opportunity to verify or claim potential winnings. One lawsuit, represented by attorney Yair Shafran, requests the court to declare the drawing void and not subject to retroactive correction, demanding refunds for all ticket buyers and compensation for distress and lost winnings.

A second class-action request, filed by attorneys Ofir Amar and Moti Levi, highlights that the live host announced incorrect results that were also displayed graphically, misleading many participants. The lawsuit seeks to represent three groups: those who discarded winning tickets due to the misleading presentation, those whose winnings were canceled after the results were changed, and all participants demanding refunds because the drawing did not comply with regulations.

Mifal HaPais responded that the incident was a singular human error during the drawing process, promptly followed by a clear public clarification. According to the lottery's rules, the official result is determined by the ball drawn and its number. Most winnings have been redeemed normally, and the organization is individually reviewing a few customer claims. Mifal HaPais expressed regret, is investigating the incident thoroughly, and is taking measures to prevent recurrence.