Monday, 28 May 2018

Its nearest twin

Shares 3 of 4 numbers (8, 9, 15) and 0 of 1 stars with the draw of 12 October 2017 — its closest relative in 875 draws. Chance gave a match this close a 88% likelihood somewhere in that history.

From the draw just before (24 May 2018): 8 carried over. Chance says 40% of draws repeat at least one number. Stars: none repeated (3% expected).

Sum and shape

The numbers add up to 39 — the 4th percentile of all possible tickets, around a middle of 72. Side-by-side numbers: 7–8, 8–9. 31% of draws have at least one such pair.

The longest wait in this draw

9 had not appeared for 15 draws. A number waits about 9 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 2.5× as often as an average ticket — more popular than most. At 30 million tickets sold, a winner on these numbers would keep about 0% of the jackpot.

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