Wednesday, 6 August 2014

Its nearest twin

Shares 3 of 6 numbers (2, 3, 42) with the draw of 28 September 2013 — its closest relative in 451 draws. Chance gave a match this close a 100% likelihood somewhere in that history.

From the draw just before (2 August 2014): 10 carried over. Chance says 58% of draws repeat at least one number.

Sum and shape

The numbers add up to 133 — the 36th percentile of all possible tickets, around a middle of 144. Side-by-side numbers: 2–3, 41–42. 51% of draws have at least one such pair.

The longest wait in this draw

2 had not appeared for 42 draws. A number waits about 8 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 0.8× as often as an average ticket — less popular than most. At 30 million tickets sold, a winner on these numbers would keep about 39% of the jackpot.

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