14

'O 'mbriaco — the drunkard

No full dossier yet for 14. The Smorfia line below is its place in the Neapolitan book of dreams; more dossiers are written over time.

Smorfia napoletana'O 'mbriacothe drunkard

Cultural interest — does not change your odds.

The reality check

What the machines actually did with 14, across every lottery this site holds a long record for.

Powerball95of 103 expected−0.77σ
UK Lotto116of 119 expected−0.34σ
EuroMillions105of 104 expected+0.07σ
SuperEnalotto147of 161 expected−1.14σ
Set for Life374of 378 expected−0.22σ

Across 5 lotteries that hold a 14, its average deviation from expectation is −0.48σ. Statistically ordinary, everywhere.

The one thing a belief about a number can measurably do is change how many people play it — and a jackpot shared more ways is worth less to each winner. That is the only real consequence, and it is arithmetic rather than folklore.