Thursday, 12 January 2012

Its nearest twin

Shares 3 of 6 numbers (27, 28, 42) with the draw of 19 December 2011 — its closest relative in 211 draws. Chance gave a match this close a 98% likelihood somewhere in that history.

From the draw just before (9 January 2012): 36 carried over. Chance says 56% of draws repeat at least one number.

Sum and shape

The numbers add up to 182 — the 83th percentile of all possible tickets, around a middle of 150. Side-by-side numbers: 27–28, 41–42. 50% of draws have at least one such pair.

The longest wait in this draw

8 had not appeared for 8 draws. A number waits about 8 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 0.7× as often as an average ticket — less popular than most. At 30 million tickets sold, a winner on these numbers would keep about 52% of the jackpot.

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