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The controversial Powerball drawing on December 1.
- This week’s Powerball winning numbers seem like an anomaly, as the winning numbers are often overwhelmingly no consecutive.
- That’s because there are far more random number permutations (over 5 billion) than consecutive numbers (just 12,600) in the Powerball lottery, says one actuary.
- Still, choosing a a specific set of consecutive numbers will have exactly the same probability of winning as a specific set of random numbers.
- You are much, much more likely to die as a result of lightning in South Africa than to win the lottery.
- For more articles, go to www.BusinessInsider.co.za.
Earlier this week, South Africa attracted global attention after the drawing of a very unusual set of Powerball winning numbers: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10.
See also | 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10: Why Powerball Winnings Show ‘Experts’ Wrong
But while consecutive numbers may seem surprising, statistically the odds of getting that set of numbers are as slim as any other.
It seems like an anomaly as the winning numbers are usually overwhelming no consecutive.
That’s because there are far more random number permutations (over 5 billion) than consecutive numbers (just 12,600) in the Powerball lottery, says actuary Edward Alant, co-founder and director of Edge Actuarial.
Still, for a typical lottery game, when you choose numbers to play, a specific set of consecutive numbers (say 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) will have exactly the same chance of winning as a specific set of random numbers. . numbers (for example, 5, 12, 16, 38, 44, 47), add.
With any of those sets of numbers, there is less than a one in 20 million chance that you will win the regular lottery with a single ticket, says Alant.
In other words, you are much more likely to die as a result of lightning. On average, around 200 South Africans die this way each year, which with a population of around 60 million people, means a probability of one in 300,000.
The consecutive numbers, and the fact that 21 people won, caused a stir in South Africa. with some claiming fraud.
Earlier this week, Business Insider reported that the National Lottery Commission (NLC) will not launch additional investigation into the December 1 Powerball draw.
The NLC said it had received a report on the Ithuba draw and emphasized that every part of the number drawing process, from design to execution, is subject to testing and auditing.
See also | No investigation into SA’s consumption of Powerball 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, says regulator, although SA is not convinced
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