22

'O pazzo — the madman

No full dossier yet for 22. The Smorfia line below is its place in the Neapolitan book of dreams; more dossiers are written over time.

Smorfia napoletana'O pazzothe madman

Cultural interest — does not change your odds.

The reality check

What the machines actually did with 22, across every lottery this site holds a long record for.

Powerball91of 103 expected−1.18σ
UK Lotto116of 119 expected−0.32σ
EuroMillions73of 104 expected−3.23σ
SuperEnalotto150of 161 expected−0.89σ
Set for Life374of 378 expected−0.22σ

Across 5 lotteries that hold a 22, its average deviation from expectation is −1.17σ. 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.