I know that lottery numbers cannot be "predicted." If they could be predicted all of the lotteries would go out of business rather quickly. That said, a "predicted" number is as likely to win as is any other number. If one likes to "predict," there is no harm in it.
Certainly there are some lottery winners who will tell everyone that they "predicted" their wins. Of course, there are also lots of people who won with quick-picks. Neither class of winners "proves" that one type of playing is better than others.
It is true however, that some strategies are slightly better than others from a probabilistic standpoint - if and only if - you are playing two tickets (or more) tickets in hopes of improving your odds. You can play two tickets and reduce your odds by zero, if you play exactly the same numbers, for instance. (You will increase your expectation value in this case, but not your odds.) I showed another case of this by demonstrating, on another thread, how you can play 120 tickets and only have 95% chance of getting the powerball, or simply play $42 and have a 100% chance of getting the powerball. (You do this by playing every possible powerball in a single drawing.)
I don't come here for predictions. I have a constant set of numbers I play, and have played for years, and I'm overall satisfied with their performance, which is consistent with the odds. Of course, it is true that I'd like not to match the odds, but to beat the odds. Although I'm fully aware that it is improbable that I will do so, I am fascinated with the fact that extraordinarily improbable dvents happen constantly. It is thrilling to recognize just how improbable life itself is. I'm just hoping for an extraordinarily improbable dvent working in my personal favor. (The improbable dvents associated with the laws of statisical mechanics have never made me a dime.) I am fully aware that it is indeed possible to win the lottery, and so I play.
Because I like big, big jackpots, I am happy to see how other players play. It makes for big jackpots that many people wheel on restricted number sets, but that's not my interest. To each, his or her, own I come here basically for lottery news, historical perspectives and, occassionally have a nice discussion with folks who like to play with numbers in fairly sophisticated ways. There are several such people here. I've been tracking lottery information for years, but I must admit I've learned some things I didn't know before.
It is sometimes said that the lottery is a game for people who don't know mathematics. I can see the point on one level, but I am aware that the foundations of probability theory, going back to Blaise Pascal, is indeed inextricably tied to gambling. It's fun in the world of the possible.