Patterns in Lottery Numbers

markmcb writes "Most everyone is familiar with the concept of the lottery, i.e., random numbers are selected and people guess what they will be for a cash prize. But how random are the numbers? Matt Vea has conducted a pattern analysis of the MegaMillions lottery, which recently offered a sum of $370M (USD) to the winner. Matt shows that the lottery isn't as random as it may seem and that there are 'better' choices than others to be made when selecting numbers. From the article, 'A single dollar in MegaMillions purchases a 1 in 175,711,536 chance of landing the jackpot ... a player stands a mildly better chance of winning a partial prize through the selection of weighted numbers.'" Includes some excellent charts of his analysis.

And yet, one truth escapes the analysis

[WillAffleckUW]

Most lotteries (as opposed to raffles) have less than half the money spent by lottery ticket buyers going into the payout pool.

You're already losing by buying the ticket.

Your best bet.

[RandoX]

4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42.

Re:Your best bet.

[Basehart]

I picked 42, 42, 42, 42, 42, 42 just be on the safe side.

Re:Your best bet.

[jonnythan]

No way, man, I don't want my gramma to break her ankle and watch her house burn down.

Re:Your best bet.

[Dusty00]

They won't let me play my lucky number: 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0

Heads, heads, heads, heads, ...

[Danny Rathjens]

Rosencrantz: [flips coin which lands as 'heads'] 78 in a row. A new record, I imagine.
Guildenstern: Is that what you imagine? A new record?
Rosencrantz: Well...
Guildenstern: No questions? Not a flicker of doubt?
Rosencrantz: I could be wrong.

...
Guildenstern: Consider: One, probability is a factor which operates *within* natural forces. Two, probability is *not* operating as a factor. Three, we are now held within un-, sub- or super-natural forces. Discuss.
Rosencrantz: What?

Re:And yet, one truth escapes the analysis

[gEvil (beta)]

Also, for 1 dollar a week you are buying a mild emotional high when checking the numbers and a mild emotional low when you find out that math pwned you again.

Yes, but for less than one dollar a day (that's less than the cost of a cup of coffee), you can help change a child's life. Imagine the feeling of joy you'll get when you receive a personalized card in the mail from the child you sponsor. Call the number on your screen right now to make a donation.

Re:And yet, one truth escapes the analysis

[TheSkyIsPurple]

That's why I just send them lottery tickets =-)

Figure there's a chance I'll make one really happy kid. Why people hate making kids really happy so much?

Re:And yet, one truth escapes the analysis

[IgLou]

Yeah but I still hate how smug math is for pwning me in the first place, even when I win! Take this unnofficial transcript between math and I.

Lou - Look Math! I won 100 bucks on the lotto!
Math - *scowling* How much did you spend on that ticket?
Lou - Well, uh 10 bucks so it's like I made $10 dollars on ever dollar I spent!
Math - *smiling evilly* Oh really? Was that the only ticket you bought this week?
Lou - Well no, but...
Math - AND... did you win on any of those tickets? How much did you spend altogether this week?
Lou - Well no but it was only another 10 so it's like I made 5 on...
Math - Please, spare me. How much have you spent this month?
Lou - Uh 80 but...
Math - and won?
Lou - with this it would be 120.
Math - Aha! You're return is more like .50 cents on the dollar!
Lou - But overall...
Math - Lies! Statistically this year you've lost more money than you gained!
Lou - It was disposable income!!
Math - How much would that have made long term investments!
Lou - I don't know!
Math - Or how much you would have saved on your mortgage!
Lou - I don't know, I don't know!
Math - Fool, now go make me a one minute egg.
Lou - Fine, right after I put some money in a stocks so we can retire.
Math - Idiot, why bother? You have a higher probability of making money on the stock market by random selection. A monkey can make money on the stock market better than you!
Lou - *sobbing uncontrollably* I hate you! I hate you!
Math - Wait till he hears about his income tax. Muhahahaha!

I may have had to improvise some parts but that's fairly accurate.

Re:Blinded by the glamor

[Penguinshit]

There is an even higher risk of termination by not making that drive for 5 days...

Re:Don't play the lottery, play the players...

[That's Unpossible!]

Any statistical deviation in the balls is going to be microscopic.

Speak for yourself.

Re:A lottery is a tax on people who can't do math

[MortimerV]

So you're saying that if I buy just 80 tickets a day, I'll have above even chances of winning over 40 years!

Spock!

[Anonymous Coward]

...is that the patterns of stars, planets, and constellations you see in the night sky is not random at all, but rather are arranged by a very intricate system of mathematical functions which describe all the interactions of all those objects and include their wildly varying velocity vectors, sizes, densities, masses, and distances from one another and they are not contained in a fixed size and shape container where frequent collisions will affect their positions as seen by a viewer here on this planet.

The lotto balls are much more matched in size, shape, mass and density to each other, and they are contained in a relatively small, fixed size container respective in ratio of the volume of all the balls to the volume insode the container, where extremely frequent collisions between the balls will profoundly affect the probability of which ones will get picked by the picking mechanism.

Spock!
You're rambling again.

Re:And yet, one truth escapes the analysis

[Country_hacker]

And yet how will you feel when you get that handwritten note from the child thanking you for the $130 million that you could have had if you had kept the ticket instead of sending it to them?

How I got Lucky in a Government Lottery

[billstewart]

I've only participated in one government lottery.
I didn't win the green suit, M-16 rifle, and two-year all-expenses-paid vacation to exciting tropical Vietnam, or the grand prize magic bullet with my name on it, and since my number was high enough to get classified as 1-H, I didn't even win the third-prize government-health-care physical exam. Haven't bought another ticket from those bastards since then.

The Simpsons have done everything

[MojoStan]

Homer: Denver just won the ballgame!

Lisa: Oh, the Broncos won?

Homer: Why didn't I bet on them like Professor Pigskin told me to?

Lisa: Who's Professor Pigskin?

Homer: (Holding Professor Pignskin pamplet) He's a pig who can predict football winners in advance!

Lisa: How is that possible?

Homer: Because he's got something no gambler's ever had: a system! I've gotten the pamphlet four weeks in a row, and every time, the pick-of-the-week has been right on the money.

Lisa: Ah... I get it. Every week, they send out two pamphlets, half picking one team and half picking the other. Eventually, there's a small group of people who only receive the correct predictions and think Professor Pigskin is always right. That's when they ask for your money.

Homer: I have money!

Lisa: Dad, it's a scam!

Homer: A scam?! Not according to Eddie F. From Tucson, or Football Millionaire in Beloit, Michigan.