Wednesday, 6 December 2023

Its nearest twin

Shares 3 of 5 numbers (7, 8, 26) with the draw of 22 May 2023 — its closest relative in 471 draws. Chance gave a match this close a 99% likelihood somewhere in that history.

From the draw just before (5 December 2023): 7, 26 carried over. Chance says 52% of draws repeat at least one number.

Sum and shape

The numbers add up to 61 — the 5th percentile of all possible tickets, around a middle of 100. Side-by-side numbers: 7–8, 8–9. 44% of draws have at least one such pair.

The longest wait in this draw

11 had not appeared for 14 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 3.2× as often as an average ticket — more popular than most. At 30 million tickets sold, a winner on these numbers would keep about 1% of the jackpot.

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