The lottery

A node is in the draw (people call it the hat) when all of this is true:

1. 1. It runs the Light or Heavy desktop app from the latest release.

2. 2. It is signed in with X, and X reports that account as X Verified (the blue check, or a business or government check).

3. 3. It is open and sending a heartbeat. A node counts as active if it sent one in the last 180 seconds. Heartbeats go out about every 30 seconds.

4. 4. The seed node has looked the handle up on X and confirmed the check. It stamps that handle into the draw.

An account without a blue check can still send, receive and claim a name. It just has no ticket. The web wallet on this site does not enter the draw.

The draw is a fixed recipe. It mixes the hash of the last block with the slot number to make a random seed. That seed shuffles the sorted list of active nodes, and the first ones in the shuffle win.

Same list, same last block, same slot: same winners, on every computer. Nobody can pick a different winner without the block failing the rules.

The block writes down the exact list it drew from, with the seed node's stamp for each one. Every node checks that the block paid the right winners the right amounts. If it did not, the block is rejected.

Right now there is one winner per minute, who gets the whole block reward plus that block's network fees. After each halving the reward halves and one more winner is added. The reward is split as evenly as possible, and fees go to the first winner.

If fewer nodes are active than there are winner spots, every active node wins that minute.

A win has to wait 100 blocks, about 100 minutes, before it can be spent.

Height

The block number of the next draw.

Slot

The minute that height belongs to. It goes up by one each minute.

Active

How many nodes are in the hat right now.

Winners

How many spots this minute pays. It starts at 1 and grows by one per halving.

Countdown

Time left in the current minute. It is a clock only.

An X Verified host can share a percent of their wins with guests they invite. Guests sign in and claim a name, but they do not need a blue check.

When a win can be spent, the host's wallet sends that percent to the guests, split equally. On Light it is on Home. On Heavy it is Rewards → Lottery share.

Sharing is a normal payment from the host's wallet, not a chain rule. Guests are never in the hat. A host who goes offline or changes their wallet can stop sharing.

1. 1. Open the explorer lottery page. It shows the live draw, who is active, recent winners, a leaderboard, and guest shares.

2. 2. Click a block height. The block page shows its slot and the winner, and the lottery payout in the first transaction.

3. 3. Click a winner's @handle to see their wins and any guest shares. The Members page lists every eligible handle.

4. 4. The Stats page shows how wins are spread across handles.