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Covering Designs - MM and PBReply
You've hit precisely on the core mathematical tension that separates academic covering designs from practical play. When you scale up to a massive matrix like Powerball ( $69 \choose 5$ ) or Mega Millions ( $70 \choose 5$ ), the covering numbers ( $C(v, k, t, m)$ ) explode. The combinatorial explosion outpaces the lower-tier prize payouts so severely that you are essentially paying premium rates for guaranteed micro-returns, even before factoring in the independent $1/26$ or $1/25$ Powerball mod
Jul 19, 2026, 11:20 am - tokecap - Mathematics Forum