How do you choose your favourite numbers?
There are plenty of different lotteries you can play in Canada – both local and international. While the most famous local one is undoubtedly Lotto 6/49, it’s certainly not the only option.
Other popular lottos Canadian players love include Ontario 49, Lottario, Daily Grand and Lotto Max, to name a few. Each of these offers rewards that could turn you into an instant millionaire. But there are also international options, like the US Powerball, which once gave away a record-breaking $1.586 billion jackpot.
The lotteries reach lucrative sums, and quickly. From a few million to a billion dollars, lotteries bring hope and excitement to Canadian ticketholders. Chances are, you’ve thought about what you would do with this kind of cash. Head off on exotic holidays, buy a villa, maybe even start that fleet of cars you’ve always wanted to collect. Maybe you’ll use a big win to support your local charities.
The thought that just one ticket could do all that and more for you has got us thinking. Are there any numbers you favour over others and do they ever come up in the draws?
Hot and Cold Lotto Numbers
Let’s talk about hot and cold numbers. Hot numbers are those lottery numbers that are drawn the most frequently. On the other hand, cold numbers barely make an appearance.
There are lottery players who specifically favour hot numbers because of their frequency, believing it’s only a matter of time before they are drawn again.
When we consider the US Powerball lottery, there are several numbers that have appeared more often than others. These include:
- 31
- 15
- 35
- 24
- 11
- 3
Of course, any lottery draw, including the Powerball, is completely random. But, one statistician undertook research into the specifics of hot numbers and came out with a different finding.
Can You Beat the System?
Even though lottery draws are random, a few years back a statistician carried out research and alleged that they found a pattern to increase a player’s odds of winning, if even a tiny bit.
Dr. Min Su Kim, the researcher, is a stats teacher at Southern University. Dr. Kim undertook an examination of Powerball winning numbers over a decade before finding the supposed pattern.
The US Powerball is made up of five white balls and the red Powerball ball. Dr. Kim found that over a decade, the top 5 Powerball numbers that have won players millions of dollars include 20, 35, 37, 31 and 2. As for the white balls, 42 proved to be the most popular number, followed by 19, 16, 26 and 35.
Dr. Kim concluded that if you pick these numbers as your favourites, you have a better chance of winning a jackpot.
Can you really beat the system? This is a rather bizarre claim for a statistician to make, but then again, if these numbers are amongst your most favourite, you probably don’t mind putting a little science behind your method of picking numbers.
The truth is this. On average, one Powerball lottery number will be a repeat hit from the last draw nearly 40 percent of the time. Not even one number will be a repeat 50 percent of the time, and the rest, well, accounts for draws that include more than one repeat lottery number.
The Secret Behind Your Favourite Lottery Numbers
Sticking with hot numbers as favourites, it’s worth mentioning that numbers that have been losers for six draws or less account for approximately half of the winning numbers. On the other hand, losing numbers that have not made an appearance for 9 or fewer games account for two-thirds of winning numbers. Those losing numbers that haven’t appeared for 12 games or less make up about three-quarters of all Powerball winning numbers.
What does this tell us? Clearly, hot numbers are a lot more likely to come up. But even if the current set of hot numbers are your favourites, don’t forget to try your luck with at least one long shot.
You never know, it might just be the one that helps you strike it lucky in the next draw.
Stay up to date with the latest hot and cold lottery numbers at Powerball.ca.