Winning participants in the University of Wisconsin 2004-05 men’s basketball ticket lottery received a pleasant surprise Monday morning when the Athletic Department announced ticket recipients will receive them free of charge.

Paciolan Inc., the company UW contracts to assist ticketing for athletics, will eventually pay more than $300,000, according to Deputy Athletic Director Jamie Pollard, when 2,100 students will receive their season tickets, distribution for which will begin Friday at 9 a.m.

Pollard said Paciolan came to the Athletic Department with their decision for free tickets.

Paciolan, which serves the majority of collegiate athletic ticketing, felt that maintaining a reputation to their customers was a priority in their decision, Pollard added.

“It comes down to customer service,” he said. “We’re appreciative for what that does for the students who got tickets.”

Paciolan’s decision to compensate lottery winners is a result of a computer glitch for which they were responsible that left out 625 of the more than 3,700 students who applied for the first lottery drawing in late October.

Everyone who applied for basketball tickets was to be entered into a lottery to see who would receive the 2,100 seats open to students. A student was entered into the raffle numerous times based on year in school and how many times he or she had bought basketball tickets.

Because of the technical mix-up, the Athletic Department held a town-hall meeting Oct. 25 to hear students’ concerns and discuss ways to alleviate the situation.

Following an online survey conducted among lottery participants, students decided to have a drawing with 2,100 available season tickets, instead of a plan proposed by the Athletic Department where fewer full-season tickets would be available and complimentary four-game packages would be given to students not picked.

Over the next several years, the money used to fund the ticketing system will be deducted from what UW pays Paciolan for their services, according to Pollard.

Pollard said none of the money used to fund the student season tickets will come out of UW’s pockets.

The Athletic Department has concerns that students who did not receive tickets for this year’s season, particularly those picked in the first lottery, might be upset, Pollard said.

“We feel for the 1,600 who didn’t get selected,” Pollard said, adding Athletic Department officials will recommend the Associated Students of Madison, who helped create the lottery system, consider students who were not picked.

More than 900 who were selected to receive tickets in the first lottery were not chosen in the second drawing.

UW senior Kate Meacham did not win tickets in the first lottery, but was selected to receive the free tickets.

“[The free tickets] are great for me, but it’s unfortunate for all the people who didn’t get tickets and people who won the first [lottery and not the second],” Meacham said, adding the funding used for the free tickets should have been used to compensate those students not chosen.

Unlike Meacham, UW junior Matt Harer won the first lottery but lost the second.

He said the free tickets were fair, but still disappointing.

“I think it’s a classy move and is good for everyone who got [tickets],” Harer said. “It is disappointing for me, especially because I would have had to pay for them if the first time [was problem free].”

The first men’s basketball home game is against UW-Parkside Nov. 10.