Friday, 24 March 2023

Its nearest twin

Shares 3 of 5 numbers (4, 22, 51) and 0 of 1 stars with the draw of 7 March 2023 — its closest relative in 1,796 draws. Chance gave a match this close a 99% likelihood somewhere in that history.

From the draw just before (23 March 2023): nothing carried over. Chance says 36% of draws repeat at least one number. Stars: none repeated (25% expected).

Sum and shape

The numbers add up to 136 — the 33th percentile of all possible tickets, around a middle of 153. Side-by-side numbers: 51–52. 30% of draws have at least one such pair.

The longest wait in this draw

4 had not appeared for 17 draws. A number waits about 12 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 1.3× as often as an average ticket — more popular than most. At 30 million tickets sold, a winner on these numbers would keep about 14% of the jackpot.

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