Mega Millions · every number
3
Number 3 In Mega Millions under the 5/56 + 1/46 · Jun 2005 – Oct 2013 rules — 869 draws, 5 from 1–56 (an earlier era).
Main numbers Stars 5/70 + 1/24 · since Apr 2025 5/70 + 1/25 · Oct 2017 – Apr 2025 5/75 + 1/15 · Oct 2013 – Oct 2017 5/56 + 1/46 · Jun 2005 – Oct 2013 5/52 + 1/52 · May 2002 – Jun 2005 5/50 + 1/36 · Jan 1999 – May 2002 5/50 + 1/25 · Sep 1996 – Jan 1999 79 times drawn · chance expected 78 +0.17σ
2 draws waiting · a wait this long: 91% for any number
10.9 average wait between appearances · chance says 11.2
38 longest completed wait · 92% chance of one at least that long
3 is drawn as often as chance explains Drawn 79 times in 869 draws against 77.6 expected, +0.17σ. Each draw is independent: after 2 draws away it is exactly as likely tonight as a number drawn yesterday.
3 Number 3, draw by draw Drawn 79 times in 869 draws · average wait 10.9 draws · longest completed wait 38 · waiting 2 draws now
16 draws: 2005-08-05 to 2005-09-30 5 draws: 2005-09-30 to 2005-10-18 13 draws: 2005-10-18 to 2005-12-02 24 draws: 2005-12-02 to 2006-02-24 28 draws: 2006-02-24 to 2006-06-02 23 draws: 2006-06-02 to 2006-08-22 6 draws: 2006-08-22 to 2006-09-12 4 draws: 2006-09-12 to 2006-09-26 1 draws: 2006-09-26 to 2006-09-29 26 draws: 2006-09-29 to 2006-12-29 7 draws: 2006-12-29 to 2007-01-23 6 draws: 2007-01-23 to 2007-02-13 3 draws: 2007-02-13 to 2007-02-23 31 draws: 2007-02-23 to 2007-06-12 7 draws: 2007-06-12 to 2007-07-06 17 draws: 2007-07-06 to 2007-09-04 17 draws: 2007-09-04 to 2007-11-02 1 draws: 2007-11-02 to 2007-11-06 12 draws: 2007-11-06 to 2007-12-18 13 draws: 2007-12-18 to 2008-02-01 12 draws: 2008-02-01 to 2008-03-14 6 draws: 2008-03-14 to 2008-04-04 5 draws: 2008-04-04 to 2008-04-22 14 draws: 2008-04-22 to 2008-06-10 7 draws: 2008-06-10 to 2008-07-04 38 draws: 2008-07-04 to 2008-11-14 10 draws: 2008-11-14 to 2008-12-19 5 draws: 2008-12-19 to 2009-01-06 6 draws: 2009-01-06 to 2009-01-27 33 draws: 2009-01-27 to 2009-05-22 17 draws: 2009-05-22 to 2009-07-21 1 draws: 2009-07-21 to 2009-07-24 9 draws: 2009-07-24 to 2009-08-25 13 draws: 2009-08-25 to 2009-10-09 12 draws: 2009-10-09 to 2009-11-20 9 draws: 2009-11-20 to 2009-12-22 24 draws: 2009-12-22 to 2010-03-16 2 draws: 2010-03-16 to 2010-03-23 6 draws: 2010-03-23 to 2010-04-13 13 draws: 2010-04-13 to 2010-05-28 9 draws: 2010-05-28 to 2010-06-29 23 draws: 2010-06-29 to 2010-09-17 1 draws: 2010-09-17 to 2010-09-21 3 draws: 2010-09-21 to 2010-10-01 9 draws: 2010-10-01 to 2010-11-02 36 draws: 2010-11-02 to 2011-03-08 13 draws: 2011-03-08 to 2011-04-22 6 draws: 2011-04-22 to 2011-05-13 17 draws: 2011-05-13 to 2011-07-12 13 draws: 2011-07-12 to 2011-08-26 10 draws: 2011-08-26 to 2011-09-30 1 draws: 2011-09-30 to 2011-10-04 12 draws: 2011-10-04 to 2011-11-15 11 draws: 2011-11-15 to 2011-12-23 3 draws: 2011-12-23 to 2012-01-03 4 draws: 2012-01-03 to 2012-01-17 3 draws: 2012-01-17 to 2012-01-27 4 draws: 2012-01-27 to 2012-02-10 1 draws: 2012-02-10 to 2012-02-14 20 draws: 2012-02-14 to 2012-04-24 5 draws: 2012-04-24 to 2012-05-11 2 draws: 2012-05-11 to 2012-05-18 11 draws: 2012-05-18 to 2012-06-26 2 draws: 2012-06-26 to 2012-07-03 2 draws: 2012-07-03 to 2012-07-10 5 draws: 2012-07-10 to 2012-07-27 16 draws: 2012-07-27 to 2012-09-21 13 draws: 2012-09-21 to 2012-11-06 8 draws: 2012-11-06 to 2012-12-04 5 draws: 2012-12-04 to 2012-12-21 1 draws: 2012-12-21 to 2012-12-25 4 draws: 2012-12-25 to 2013-01-08 20 draws: 2013-01-08 to 2013-03-19 27 draws: 2013-03-19 to 2013-06-21 1 draws: 2013-06-21 to 2013-06-25 4 draws: 2013-06-25 to 2013-07-09 12 draws: 2013-07-09 to 2013-08-20 15 draws: 2013-08-20 to 2013-10-11 Still waiting — at least 2 draws since 2013-10-11 2005-08-05 2005-09-30 2005-10-18 2005-12-02 2006-02-24 2006-06-02 2006-08-22 2006-09-12 2006-09-26 2006-09-29 2006-12-29 2007-01-23 2007-02-13 2007-02-23 2007-06-12 2007-07-06 2007-09-04 2007-11-02 2007-11-06 2007-12-18 2008-02-01 2008-03-14 2008-04-04 2008-04-22 2008-06-10 2008-07-04 2008-11-14 2008-12-19 2009-01-06 2009-01-27 2009-05-22 2009-07-21 2009-07-24 2009-08-25 2009-10-09 2009-11-20 2009-12-22 2010-03-16 2010-03-23 2010-04-13 2010-05-28 2010-06-29 2010-09-17 2010-09-21 2010-10-01 2010-11-02 2011-03-08 2011-04-22 2011-05-13 2011-07-12 2011-08-26 2011-09-30 2011-10-04 2011-11-15 2011-12-23 2012-01-03 2012-01-17 2012-01-27 2012-02-10 2012-02-14 2012-04-24 2012-05-11 2012-05-18 2012-06-26 2012-07-03 2012-07-10 2012-07-27 2012-09-21 2012-11-06 2012-12-04 2012-12-21 2012-12-25 2013-01-08 2013-03-19 2013-06-21 2013-06-25 2013-07-09 2013-08-20 2013-10-11 2005-06-24 2013-10-18
1 draws: 8 times 2 draws: 4 times 3 draws: 4 times 4 draws: 5 times 5 draws: 6 times 6 draws: 6 times 7 draws: 3 times 8 draws: 1 time 9 draws: 4 times 10 draws: 2 times 11 draws: 2 times 12 draws: 5 times 13 draws: 7 times 14 draws: 1 time 15 draws: 1 time 16 draws: 2 times 17 draws: 4 times 18 draws: 0 times 19 draws: 0 times 20 draws: 2 times 21 draws: 0 times 22 draws: 0 times 23 draws: 2 times 24 draws: 2 times 25 draws: 0 times 26 draws: 1 time 27 draws: 1 time 28 draws: 1 time 29 draws: 0 times 30 draws: 0 times 31 draws: 1 time 32 draws: 0 times 33 draws: 1 time 34 draws: 0 times 35 draws: 0 times 36 draws: 1 time 37 draws: 0 times 38 draws: 1 time 39 draws: 0 times its own waits draws between appearances Where it lands in a sorted draw Sort a draw and 3 has a favourite seat — chance gives a small number the low positions more often. That is the shape of sorting, not of the machine.
1st smallest 71 · chance 67.8 2nd smallest 8 · chance 10.9 3rd smallest 0 · chance 0.3 4th smallest 0 · chance 0.0 5th smallest 0 · chance 0.0 Every position’s lane →
The company it keeps Seen most often with these — chance gives every partner about 5.7 shared draws, and the leaders are simply the ones that came out ahead this time.
It has shared a draw with every one of the other 55 numbers; chance expected about 0.2 still unmet by now. Every pair →
How many people play it Under the crowd model, 3 is picked about 1.48× as often as an indifferent choice — 2nd most popular of 56. That changes nothing about whether it comes up, and everything about how many ways a jackpot on it would be shared.
Numbers 1–31 — the birthday zone ×1.22 Numbers 1–12 — day and month overlap ×1.10 Culturally lucky numbers 3, 8, 9 ×1.10 The model and its sources → · What people believe about 3 →
Every draw it appeared in ← number 2 Every number number 4 → What this cannot tell you Nothing here predicts the next draw. A number’s history is a record of a fair machine’s past, and the machine keeps none of it: 3 is drawn with probability 5/56 tonight whatever it did last week.