Bulgarian lottery repeat probed

Comment #23

KY Floyd — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 06:17:21 GMT

You'd only multiply the odds if you wanted to know the odds of a specific number being drawn twice in a row. When the first drawing happens it's going to result in some number being drawn. The chance of that number being drawn again in the following drawing is then 1 in 5 million (or whatever the odds for the game are; this one is somewhere around 1 in 14 million).

Comment #22

caipiao — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 02:35:18 GMT

now what about 3 draws in a row with the same numbers. odds of that? The one who said getting twice in a row is 1 in 5 million is a bit wrong , you have to multiply 1/5,000,000 and 1/5,000,000

Comment #21

RJOh — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:18:40 GMT

The Bulgarian authorities have ordered an investigation after the same six numbers were drawn in two consecutive rounds of the national lottery.

I guess an investigation over there have about the same effect as one does here.

Comment #20

erik-b — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 22:23:28 GMT

Three of the six winning numbers also appeared once again in the following draw, on September 13th................

Comment #19

lottobrain — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 02:14:22 GMT

I remember when I first moved to Maryland for job transfer back in 1988, I was playing lottery for the first time, having come from VA where lottery did not yet exist. I was near the DE state line, so I also played DE Lotto. I got my first computer at that time and my first lottery program. The program had the stats for several state lotteries and while I was studying the draws for DE, I discovered that my printout showed the same numbers in about 2 weeks for a draw. Back then I think the DE lot... [ More ]

Comment #18

larry3100 — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 00:56:49 GMT

Some years ago I picked the same numbers from a previous draw,that won big-time.I got 3 numbers.It shows you that you never know what can happen when you play the lottery.

Comment #17

quenny3 — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 21:52:09 GMT

I think lottery in general is a skem they play with the numbers

Comment #16

Kaptainess — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:30:03 GMT

Repeats are here, there and everywhere. Have you noticed that repeats are strong lately? I have and it hasn't peaked yet. What it means I have no idea yet. It could be a just a ''condition'' or leading up to something big. Time will tell. Seems like its global now, so whatever it really means we should know soon.

Comment #15

HaveABall — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 05:12:41 GMT

Thank you KY Floyd, I don't know how you and the others get your statistics, but I appreciate being able to read them every now and then.

I've never selected #s this way before. Yet, you prove that no selection is outrageous

Comment #14

KY Floyd — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 05:00:54 GMT

I think everybody here knows that 1,2,3,4,5,6 is an extremely popular combination, even though many other people think it's less likely to come up than other combinations. Plenty of people also think that the same numbers repeating again is less likely than any of the other combinations coming up, but whether it's 1,2,3,4,5,6, the numbers that came up in the last drawing, or any other combination you choose, they've all got the same odds. Plenty of people play numbers that are cold, thinking tha... [ More ]

Comment #13

johnph77 — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 03:53:29 GMT

The mathematician's math is a bit off. In a 6/42 lottery there is a 1::5,245,786 chance of any six-number combination being drawn, including a duplicate set of the previous draw.

Comment #12

four4me — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:47:10 GMT

The article doesn't say the numbers were draw in the same exact order out of the machine if one was used the balls could have been draw the same but came out of the machine in a different order.

As for 18 people playing the same numbers.... 18 people out of how many thousands of players Is feasible since many people sometimes play the previous numbers which were drawn. And some of those players might have played the same numbers who didn't bother to check the previous results.... [ More ]

Comment #11

rdgrnr — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:17:15 GMT

An official of the Bulgarian lottery said manipulation was impossible .

So there, it's settled. Everyone knows you can't manipulate a computer and everyone knows there is no such thing as corrupt lottery officials. Case closed.

I believe that.

I also believe that the Brain Suckers from Mars are hiding under my bed.

Comment #10

jim695 — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:08:19 GMT

The numbers - 4, 15, 23, 24, 35 and 42 - were chosen by a machine live on television on 6 and 10 September.

The article doesn't state whether the machine is an RNG or a mechanical ball-type machine.

Does anyone know?

An official of the Bulgarian lottery said manipulation was impossible.

This is the standard argument used by lotteries that draw their numbers electronically, and I'm also skeptical about the mathematician's figures. At minimum, the odds of identical numbers... [ More ]

Comment #9

Littleoldlady — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 23:29:36 GMT

If they think that is possible I got some real estate on Mars to sell them. the crooks (thieves) are at it again. It is called manipulation.

Comment #8

time*treat — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 22:51:39 GMT

... 18 out of a population of about 8 milion or so.. playing the same 6 of 42 numbers.

If it's not a scam, some poor fortune cookie maker is gonna get it.

What I'd like to know is where did that ''mathematician get one in four million from

Comment #7

joshuakim — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 21:39:23 GMT

it's possible..

Comment #6

Prob988 — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 21:37:30 GMT

Actually. if this was impossible, the probability of winning the lottery would be zero.

Comment #5

RJOh — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 20:29:47 GMT

I was looking at a few lotteries and playing the previous winning combination may be a better strategy than playing 1 2 3 4 5 6 which is a popular strategy in lotteries with a *small pool of numbers. For example:

Playing the previous winning combination in the West Virgina Cash25 since it began on 02/06/90 would have matched 5/6 three times, 4/6 38 times and 3/6 316 times returning $1446 of the $2894 it cost to play.

Playing 01 02 03 04 05 06 in the West Virgina Cash25 since it began on 02... [ More ]

Comment #4

savagegoose — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 20:09:37 GMT

hmm he said the odds of same 6 numbers 2 in a row. must be a real small pool , 6 out of 42 or something.

anyhow i bang on about playing last weeks numbers in the next weks draw, and do play em on our 7 from 45 game. no luck yet but this is encouraging news to me.

Comment #3

maringoman — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:48:17 GMT

Fraud! Where the Interpol at

Comment #2

CARBOB — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:14:28 GMT

I find it very hard to believe that 18 people would play the same numbers from the previous draw. Something smells, wonder if these 18 people knew each other

Comment #1

time*treat — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:53:17 GMT

Interesting that people would bet on an exact repeat in a 6-ball drawing.

Bulgarian lottery repeat probed

Lottery Post — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:34:26 GMT

The Bulgarian authorities have ordered an investigation after the same six numbers were drawn in two consecutive rounds of the national lottery.

The numbers 4, 15, 23, 24, 35 and 42 were chosen by a machine live on television on 6 and 10 September.

An official of the Bulgarian lottery said manipulation was impossible.

A mathematician said the chance of the same six numbers coming up twice in a row was one in four million. But he said coincidences do happen.

Minister of Physical Educa... [ More ]