Lottery Statistics

In lottery parlance, a Longshot is any lottery number that hasn’t hit in the last ten drawings. Most professional gamblers wouldn’t normally bet on a Longshot, but that is not so in the lottery. In the lottery, 25% to 40% of the winning numbers are Longshots. Therefore, you ignore them at your own peril.

On September 30, 2008, I wrote a post called, Lottery Statistics - The Amazing Race that rather emphatically made this point. I thought it would be nice to go back, almost a year, and see if the Longshot trends I identified then are still performing today. This post should go a long way in silencing the critics who claim these are just fleeting trends that you can’t count on.

The key to understanding the importance of including Longshots in your play list, is that most of the time you have absolutely no chance of winning the lottery jackpot if they are not included! A sobering thought. To prove to you that this is just a true today as it was a year ago, I’ll show you some THEN and NOW comparisons. Lottery statistics labeled THEN are from 9/30/08. Those labeled NOW are from 8/27/09

THEN - TX654 - Lotto Texas - On the average, it takes at least 1.82 Longshots to win the Lottery Jackpot. This is 30.3% of the winning numbers. In 92 drawings out of 100, it takes at least 1 Longshot to win the Lottery Jackpot.

NOW - TX654 - Lotto Texas - On the average, it takes at least 1.79 Longshots to win the Lottery Jackpot. This is 29.8% of the winning numbers. In 91 drawings out of 100, it takes at least 1 Longshot to win the Lottery Jackpot.

THEN - MM556 - MegaMillions - On the average, it takes at least 2.07 Longshots to win the Lottery Jackpot. This is 41.4% of the winning numbers. In 94 drawings out of 100, it takes at least 1 Longshot to win the Lottery Jackpot.

NOW - MM556 - MegaMillions - On the average, it takes at least 2.03 Longshots to win the Lottery Jackpot. This is 40.6% of the winning numbers. In 92 drawings out of 100, it takes at least 1 Longshot to win the Lottery Jackpot.

THEN - FL653 - Florida Lotto - On the average, it takes at least 1.80 Longshots to win the Lottery Jackpot. This is 30% of the winning numbers. In 90 drawings out of 100, it takes at least 1 Longshot to win the Lottery Jackpot.

NOW - FL653 - Florida Lotto - On the average, it takes at least 1.77 Longshots to win the Lottery Jackpot. This is 29.5% of the winning numbers. In 89 drawings out of 100, it takes at least 1 Longshot to win the Lottery Jackpot.

THEN - NY659 - New York Lotto - On the average, it takes at least 2.07 Longshots to win the Lottery Jackpot. This is 34.5% of the winning numbers. In 94 drawings out of 100, it takes at least 1 Longshot to win the Lottery Jackpot.

NOW - NY659 - New York Lotto - On the average, it takes at least 2.03 Longshots to win the Lottery Jackpot. This is 33.8% of the winning numbers. In 93 drawings out of 100, it takes at least 1 Longshot to win the Lottery Jackpot.

The obvious consistency of these trends over the last year with several lotteries substantiates what I’ve been saying. Lottery number patterns and trends are persistent; you can count on them. These, THEN and NOW comparisons should make believers out of all of you. If they don’t, then there is probably no hope for you. But, facts are facts and it is difficult to ignore them forever.

Tags: Longshots, Lottery Number Patterns, Lottery Predictions, Lottery Statistics by Professor Dolph
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Lottery Number Patterns

Serious Lottery Players are always looking for Lottery Number Patterns that will give them an advantage. But, there is one pattern that exists in all lotteries that many players aren’t aware of and it cost them dearly; Longshots.

For those that don’t know what Longshots are in lottery parlance, let’s start with a definition. A while back there was a lottery strategy that became popular called the ‘Hot Number Strategy’. The associated marketing hype that came with it went something like this:

More than 80% of all winning lottery numbers have Hit in the last 10 drawings. Therefore, make your play list from all the winning numbers in the last 10 drawings.

As a result, any number that hadn’t Hit in the last 10 drawings was considered a rather dubious pick and was to be avoided. Hence, these numbers were dubbed ‘Longshots’. The term persists to this day and I even use it. However, I do not use the word ‘Longshot’ disparagingly; I use it with reverence. They are very important.

For all of those lottery players who got caught up in the ‘Hot Number Strategy’ hype, this was a very expensive lesson. They spent a lot of money on lottery tickets and ended up without much to show for it. In future posts, I’ll expose even more of the fallacies behind the so called ‘Hot Number Strategy’.

The Hot Number Strategy was a bust because it excluded Longshots. Including Longshots is vital to any successful Lottery Strategy because, on the average, 25% to 40% of the winning numbers are Longshots!!! You heard me right; 25% to 40%.

For example, if you are using a 40 number play list, then 10 to 16 of those numbers should be Longshots. Why? Because Serious Lottery Players, smart players, play the odds.

Do Lottery Number Patterns like this work every drawing? Of course not. But, over the long haul you will do much better.

In my next post, I’ll use some examples. Any suggestions for lotteries to use?

Tags: Longshots, Lottery Number Patterns, Lottery Strategies by Professor Dolph
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