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239 people share second prize in Canada's Lotto 6/49 draw
Canada 6/49: 239 people share second prize in Canada's Lotto 6/49 draw
What some are calling a mathematical fluke led to smaller-than-expected payouts for 239 second-prize winners of last Wednesday's Lotto 6/49. The jackpot for the draw was $3.99 million, but no one got all six numbers and the bonus to claim the biggest prize for the night. But 239 tickets got five of the six winning numbers, along with the bonus. Those tickets were good enough for second prize. Had there only been one second prize ticket, however, the ticket-holder would have won more than $285,000. Instead, 239 people will split the cash and claim just under $1,100 a piece. The winning numbers were 23, 40, 41, 42, 44, 45, and the bonus number was 43. The set of numbers is interesting because other than the first number, it rises sequentially from 40 to 45. "People tend to disbelieve that six numbers in a row would ever come up," says Carl Schwarz, a statistician at Simon Fraser University. "(But) every set of six numbers has exactly the same chance of coming up. So, there's nothing statistically odd about picking six numbers. It's the psychology." Don Pister, a spokesman for the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, says Wednesday's results are unusual for the number of winners. But he said a player's odds don't improve or decline based on the numbers he or she chooses. "6/49 draw results are determined solely by random chance, so every set of possible six numbers coming has exactly the same chance as any other set," he said. Tom Salisbury, a professor of mathematics and statistics at York University, says future players should heed Wednesday's results. He said many of the players adopted a losing strategy. "The moral of the story is that if you're one of the people who chooses six numbers in a row, it's certainly not going to help you win. And if you win, it's going to guarantee that you don't take much money home," Salisbury said. On top of the 239 second-prize winning tickets, 106 winners picked five correct numbers without the bonus.
CTV
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8 comments. Last comment 2 years ago by .
mid-Ohio United States Member #9 March 24, 2001 10510 Posts Offline |
| Posted: March 26, 2008, 10:08 am - IP Logged |
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I read once that 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 was a very popular combination but I never figured any other sequential group would be also. * What happens most *
* will most likely happen again *
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Idaho United States Member #56982 November 21, 2007 3188 Posts Offline |
| Posted: March 26, 2008, 1:42 pm - IP Logged |
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I bet a lot of those people thought that they had won big time. It must have been a shock to learn that there were over 200 winners for the second prize.
"No one remembers the person who almost climbed the mountain, only the person who eventually gets to the top."
ThatScaryChick
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NY United States Member #24178 October 16, 2005 1736 Posts Offline |
| Posted: March 26, 2008, 2:29 pm - IP Logged |
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I once knew somebody who played 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 because he figured it seemed like a combination that nobody would play. I can only assume that thousands of people think the same thing about every sequence and pattern there is. The last time I knew of a lottery offering information on the common combinations the diagonals starting from the top left and top right of the play slip were the most heavily played.
I'd assume that there might be 1 or 2 people who won with QP's, but 237 people or so all played the full sequence, and got lucky that the bonus number wasn't something other than 43. What I'm really curious about is the thinking of the 106 people who got 5 numbers, but not the bonus. They either played 40, 41,42,44,45, choosing something other than 43 (I'd guess that a lot of them played 46), or they played only 4 of those and the 23. The only thing that makes sense to me is that they realize a straight sequence is likely to have many winners, but figured skipping a number from the sequence gave them a good chance at having a jackpot to themselves. I'm guessing the results offer a lot of clues about the kind of combinations that are popular.
BTW, 5+0 paid almost twice as much as 5+1.
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Holt MI United States Member #2283 September 4, 2003 53 Posts Offline |
| Posted: March 26, 2008, 5:43 pm - IP Logged |
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Ten years ago I won 250,000 playing the Michigan Keno game with the numbers 68,69,71,72,73,74,76,77,78,79. I was very happy that it was not para mutual, until more than ten people have played the same number. It showed me that any number combination, may not be likely, but it sure is possible!!
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Clarksville,Tennessee United States Member #8823 November 13, 2004 1827 Posts Offline |
| Posted: March 26, 2008, 9:12 pm - IP Logged |
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I bet a lot of those people thought that they had won big time. It must have been a shock to learn that there were over 200 winners for the second prize.
It reminds me of a episode of the tv show Martin. The one where Martin wins the lottery, quits his job, goes out and buys new furniture, and fancy clothes and furs only to find out that a lot of people had won and his high dollar winning ticket was only worth about $500. Then he has to go back and beg for his job back. I love doubles and remember, it's just a game!!!!!!
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Australia Member #37542 April 11, 2006 413 Posts Offline |
| Posted: March 27, 2008, 11:46 am - IP Logged |
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here in oz one of our smaller lotto's had wining numbers almost all divisable by 5, ie
2 15 20 25 35 40
it had the largest number of winners ever and they got something like $6k ea, i said it sure would have sucked,,, but they still won more than me, which was a zero. i can easily imagine telling my boss. landlord, mother,?GF and everyone else in life who may not even have deserved it, to go %^$$^ themselves, only to find i had won $6k.
which leads me to the opinion that untill u know the prize, no parties , no celebrating, no nothing. wait till the amount is determined and maybe the cash is in your bank. i look at all lotteries as a 50-50 chance,
either i win or i don't
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United States Member #4194 March 23, 2004 720 Posts Offline |
| Posted: March 28, 2008, 10:51 am - IP Logged |
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"Had there only been one second prize ticket, however, the ticket-holder would have won more than $285,000. Instead, 239 people will split the cash and claim just under $1,100 a piece. "
Ouch! That got to hurt! I would be very upset if I won that.
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MI United States Member #55299 August 31, 2007 812 Posts Offline |
| Posted: March 29, 2008, 6:27 pm - IP Logged |
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Heh, reminds me of Bruce Almighty...
My MM easy pick that I got yesterday gave me 38, 39, 40... At least I got one number (40) but that was it and I already had that on numbers I picked.. With odds like 1 in 175,711,536 how can I lose?!
You can't predict random.
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