Thursday, 23 May 2024

Its nearest twin

Shares 3 of 5 numbers (4, 8, 29) and 0 of 1 stars with the draw of 21 April 2023 — its closest relative in 1,714 draws. Chance gave a match this close a 100% likelihood somewhere in that history.

From the draw just before (22 May 2024): 8 carried over. Chance says 44% of draws repeat at least one number. Stars: none repeated (6% expected).

Sum and shape

The numbers add up to 78 — the 7th percentile of all possible tickets, around a middle of 123. Side-by-side numbers: 8–9, 28–29. 37% of draws have at least one such pair.

The longest wait in this draw

28 had not appeared for 27 draws. A number waits about 10 on average, and a wait this long was not a signal — the machine has no memory of it.

How many people held it

A line like this is played about 3.3× as often as an average ticket — more popular than most. At 30 million tickets sold, a winner on these numbers would keep about 2% of the jackpot.

Illustrative model, calibrated to published studies — not live sales.