I talked with a player this week about the concept of random numbers and what exactly that means for her lotto tickets. Here’s the background involved, in case you’ve ever wondered the same thing!
The woman said that she buys easy-pick tickets in Powerball®, Mega Millions® and Lucky for Life®. (In an easy-pick play, the lottery terminal or self-service kiosk randomly assigns the numbers on the ticket.)
The woman said she noticed that the same numbers can end up on different tickets, and that concerned her. She thought that if the numbers were randomly selected, they would all be different, or repeat extremely rarely. I explained that what she was describing is in fact not random.
When numbers are chosen at random, any outcome is possible: You can have multiple plays with all the same numbers. You can have plays with no repeat numbers. Or, you can have plays where some of the numbers repeat. If you put parameters on the numbers they won’t be random.
Perhaps the way to look at it is that you can’t apply reason to random.
As I shared with the woman, the only way to avoid repeats in the numbers on your lotto tickets is to choose the numbers you play.
Well, that way you don't have to worry about your numbers winning without you, Terry! :) And easy picks are very easy to buy.
Posted by: Mary Neubauer | August 18, 2021 at 03:01 PM
All I play is easy pick
Posted by: Terry Axline | August 16, 2021 at 08:35 PM