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Covering Designs - MM and PBReply
This is a mathematical covering design (or lottery wheel) that reduces the total number pool of Powerball/Mega Millions into just 350 combinations of 12-number sets . This specific optimization guarantees a 100% catch-rate for a 3-match and a 50% probability of hitting a 4-match , significantly lowering the cost while maintaining high efficiency.
Jun 4, 2026, 12:51 pm - tokecap - Mathematics Forum

Covering Designs - MM and PBReply
MEGA Millions results 5/26 1-5-49-51-59
May 27, 2026, 8:57 am - tokecap - Mathematics Forum

Sum-range distribution across PB / MM / new MFL game — comparing the curves
Been running sum-of-balls distributions across the three big multi-state games and the MFL one's interesting because the 1 58 pool gives a different center of mass than Powerball's 1 69 or Mega's 1 70. Rough centers I'm seeing: Powerball (5 of 1 69): sums cluster ~175 Mega Millions (5 of 1 70): ~178 Millionaire for Life (5 of 1 58): ~147 For anyone who plays sum ranges as a filter, MFL's lower ceiling tightens the useful band a fair bit. Anyone else mapping this? Wondering if the sm
Jun 21, 2026, 7:42 pm - NumberCruncher2 - Mathematics Forum

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
Today, 11:20 am - tokecap - Mathematics Forum