How were draft lottery numbers used in draft board decisions and induction orders?
Executive summary
The Selective Service lottery paired calendar birth dates with sequence numbers 1–365 (or 366) to set the order in which men of draft-age cohorts were processed and inducted; induction notices were then mailed starting with the lowest sequence numbers and continued until quotas were met [1] [2]. Modern sports draft lotteries (NBA, NHL, MLB) also use randomized ball draws or combinations to determine draft order—awarding top picks by lottery and then filling remaining slots by inverse records—though each league applies distinct rules about eligible teams and how many spots a club can move [3] [4] [5].
1. How the Selective Service lottery converted a random draw into induction order
The Selective Service’s method was literal and procedural: officials drew a date ball and a number ball from two machines and paired them to assign a “sequence number” to that birth date; men turning 20 on a date that drew sequence number 32, for example, would be called only after all sequence numbers 1–31 were exhausted for that age cohort [1] [2]. Once the drawing and certification were complete, the Selective Service transmitted the sequence and almost immediately prepared and mailed induction notices to registrants with the lowest lottery numbers, calling as many sequence numbers as the Department of War’s personnel quota required [1] [2].
2. Tiebreakers and order within identical birthdays
The historical Vietnam-era lottery included a further mechanism for ordering registrants who shared the same birth date: the order among men born on the same date could be resolved by drawing the first letters of their last, first and middle names—so the lottery randomized both date priority and intra-date ordering when needed [6]. Available sources do not mention other administrative tiebreakers or how medical, occupational or deferment claims were processed relative to lottery sequence beyond the mailing of induction notices [6] [2].
3. The role of quotas: lottery number ≠ immediate induction
A lottery number established priority, not an automatic call to service. The government called sequence numbers only up to the quota set by the Department of War; those with higher sequence numbers were not inducted unless additional quotas or subsequent call-ups required it. That meant a low lottery number made a registrant likely to be processed first, but induction still depended on how many sequence numbers were “called” that year [2].
4. How sports lotteries map to the same principle—and how they differ
Contemporary draft lotteries in the NBA, NHL and MLB use physical-ball or combination draws to assign draft order for the worst teams, then fill remaining slots by inverse records—mirroring the Selective Service idea of a randomized priority followed by an ordered remainder. The NBA draws four balls from 14 and determines the top four picks, then orders the rest by inverse regular-season record [3]. The NHL uses 14 balls and four-number combinations for its two-phase draw, with movement limits (teams can move up a maximum number of slots) and then sets remaining slots by standings [4]. MLB’s lottery uses 14 ping-pong balls and awards the top six picks via lottery to non-playoff teams subject to eligibility and CBA constraints, then assigns later picks by record [5] [7].
5. Eligibility rules and artificial constraints that shape outcomes
Unlike a pure randomization that treats all entrants equally, sports lotteries layer eligibility rules that alter chances: MLB excludes teams from lottery eligibility for reasons such as recent lottery picks or revenue-sharing status, reallocating odds accordingly [5] [8]. The NHL caps how many spots a team can move up in the lottery, meaning some poorly performing teams still cannot win the top pick; after the lottery phase the leftover order is set by standings [4]. These constraints create predictable bias even within a randomized draw [4] [5].
6. Transparency, media coverage and public legitimacy
Both the Selective Service and major sports leagues conduct lotteries publicly or with broadcast transparency because the stakes are high—who gets called into military service, or which franchise secures elite draft talent. The Selective Service’s 1969 drawing was conducted with media coverage and certification; leagues now stage public drawings with team representatives and detailed procedures published in advance to bolster legitimacy [6] [3] [7].
7. What the sources don’t say (limitations and open questions)
Available sources describe the mechanics and immediate administrative consequences of lottery draws but do not detail how subsequent deferments, appeals or medical disqualifications altered the practical order of inductions once notices were mailed, nor do they provide exhaustive operational records of how often quotas stopped before low-numbered registrants were reached [1] [2]. For sports lotteries, the sources explain procedures and odds but do not provide internal deliberations about why leagues set particular movement caps or ineligibility rules beyond CBA summaries [4] [5].
Conclusion: In both military and sports settings, lottery numbers create a randomized priority list; administrative rules, quotas and eligibility constraints determine whether and how that priority translates into actual induction or draft selection [1] [5] [4].