Statistical Analysis As A Means To Predict Lottery Winning Numbers - Myth Or Fact?

By Author: Groshan Fabiola
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These days, a large majority of lottery formats are operated through governmental bodies or enterprises that are licensed by the government to do so. In the US, every lottery lies under the jurisdiction of the state in which it operates, and therefore is monitored and controlled with the help of specific, local legislation. Lottery tickets are widely available with both physical retailers and Internet-driven portals, and depending on the type of lottery, players have to pick a certain string of numbers out of a larger number pool (e.g. the ubiquitous 6 out of 49 lottery format).

The biggest lottery prize ever won in the United States was a Mega Millions jackpot in excess of $390 million, announced March 06, 2007. Since the game had two winners, the prize was split evenly between both claimers. The runner up in terms of jackpot size is the Powerball. The all-time largest jackpot ever given away by the Powerball lottery was valued at $365 million, and was won February 18, 2006.

Every now and then, a (very inspired) player somehow manages to pinpoint the correct six numbers in a draw and walks away with a life ...
... changing multi-million dollar prize. When a lottery game has more than one winner, the jackpot is split equally among all those who have marked the winning lottery numbers on their tickets. Guessing less than six numbers still pays, although in such situations the cash prizes are significantly smaller.

Irrespective of the type of lottery you choose to participate in, the outcome of each draw is all a question of statistical probability. For instance, the odds to predict the correct 6 numbers out of 49 are approximately 14 million to one. From an empirical viewpoint, all numbers from 1 to 49 share the exact same statistical probability to be drawn during a game. In practice though, it seems that (coincidently or not) each distinctive lottery format develops its unique pattern over time.

Judging solely by that, it becomes very tempting to think that it takes more than just luck to guess lottery winning numbers, and that the decisive factor in winning the big prize is none other than probability. Obviously, methodical people who depend on concrete or scientific systems to pick their lottery numbers find comfort in prediction strategies based on statistical analysis, as these give them a feeling of certainty. Followers and promoters of prediction systems of the kind swear by the existence of a certain pattern, describing numbers with a higher than average appearance rate as being hot, and the ones with a lower than average coefficient as being cold.

A number of prominent voices in the state lottery-playing community speculate that there are several ways to predict lottery winning numbers. According to these people, the most effective systems involve no such thing as complex calculations or having any special skills, but simply the ability to follow a series of basic procedures and understand some elementary notions.

One of the more popular lottery prediction strategies that is being circularized these days involves logging the previously mentioned hot and cold numbers, and builds on the premise that the hot numbers are preferable over their counterparts due to their tendency to emerge more often than the others. Another popular method for selecting lottery numbers follows in the footsteps of the hot and cold numbers concept, and is called the frequency theory. The brainchild of an Oklahoma Professor who allegedly won the lottery three times in a row after studying lottery numbers and their frequency of occurrence, the said theory still inspires thousands of people to do their homework and pick their numbers knowledgeably. Unfortunately, due to the astronomical odds of winning a lottery game (even a regional, low-profile one), the true efficacy of the system is impossible to verify or substantiate.

On an ending note, since there is no such thing as a guaranteed approach to winning the lottery, sometimes it can become frustrating to use a numerical system repeatedly without experiencing any real success. Although strategies based on statistics are becoming increasingly popular with casual and avid lottery players alike, most people who do manage to walk away with the big one bluntly admit to have selected their numbers based purely on chance, gut instinct or momentary inspiration.

Apparently, we are far from being able to pinpoint lottery winning numbers using charts, math and statistics. Therefore, all we can do to better our chances of becoming the lottery winners of tomorrow is to keep on playing, stick by reliable lottery sites, and continue to monitor draw results via a lottery checker hoping that one day we will get to see our numbers announced as winners.

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