72

'A maraviglia — the marvel

No full dossier yet for 72. The Smorfia line below is its place in the Neapolitan book of dreams; more dossiers are written over time.

Smorfia napoletana'A maravigliathe marvel

Cultural interest — does not change your odds.

The reality check

What the machines actually did with 72, across every lottery this site holds a long record for.

Powerballpool stops at 69
UK Lottopool stops at 59
EuroMillionspool stops at 50
SuperEnalotto164of 161 expected+0.25σ
Set for Lifepool stops at 44

Across 1 lottery that holds a 72, its average deviation from expectation is +0.25σ. Statistically ordinary, everywhere. (4 of the games do not go that high.)

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.