The odds of any six main numbers being drawn in the UK Lotto game are 1 in 13,983,815, and those odds really do apply to any six main numbers, so the chances of six seemingly unconnected numbers appearing are exactly the same as the appearance of the numbers 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06. That being said, we all recognise that ordered sequence as having a certain kind of logic to it, so if those numbers appeared in an actual draw we wouldn’t be able to resist the idea that the event was rather special.
Another common myth that flies in the face of reality is that the result of one draw somehow makes another result more or less likely in a subsequent draw. For example, last Saturday the main numbers drawn in the UK Lotto game were 22, 23, 25, 27, 28 and 46. Many people would probably think that the chances of those exact same numbers appearing in the next draw this Wednesday are infinitesimally small, but the truth is that they are exactly the same as they always have been (1 in 13,983,815) because every draw is an independent event and the numbers have no memory of what has happened previously.
Of course, what makes lottery numbers significant for individual players is whether or not they match the numbers that they have entered. The jackpot in the UK Lotto game on Saturday was landed by a single ticket, so for the lucky owner of that ticket the six numbers drawn were about as significant as they get. And that’s what makes lottery games so exciting – the fact that one ticket purchased in one particular place at one particular time can defy the odds and change a player’s life forever.
There are plenty of opportunities for lottery fans to experience that kind of event first hand this week, so good luck to those who will be getting involved in any of the games coming up, and don’t forget to let us know if you win yourself a jackpot!
Written by Lottie McDonald