36

'E castagnelle — the castanets

No full dossier yet for 36. The Smorfia line below is its place in the Neapolitan book of dreams; more dossiers are written over time.

Smorfia napoletana'E castagnellethe castanets

Cultural interest — does not change your odds.

The reality check

What the machines actually did with 36, across every lottery this site holds a long record for.

Powerball117of 103 expected+1.48σ
UK Lotto128of 119 expected+0.84σ
EuroMillions93of 104 expected−1.17σ
SuperEnalotto134of 161 expected−2.20σ
Set for Life356of 378 expected−1.23σ

Across 5 lotteries that hold a 36, its average deviation from expectation is −0.45σ. 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.