What's the chance of a six-number run in a lottery

[GwydionM]

I've asked this before, but not in this forum. It must be rare and be pretty remarkable, but maybe someone here can calculate it exactly.

I'm thinking mostly about the British lottery, but they are all much the same, I think.

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An old man who lives in the UK

 

[strongm]

>So from then on, there are only 4 balls total that could remain in the sequence

Nope ...

 

[kaht]

Can we give it a rest now?

I'd say yes, but GwydionM hasn't given anybody a star yet

-kaht

Looking for a puppy?

[small]Silky Terriers are small, relatively odorless dogs that shed no fur and make great indoor pets.[/small]

 

[GwydionM]

Anyone can give a star. And I'm not yey sure which answer is the best.

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An old man who lives in the UK

 

[kaht]

After careful examination I would have to say mine.

-kaht

Looking for a puppy?

[small]Silky Terriers are small, relatively odorless dogs that shed no fur and make great indoor pets.[/small]

 

[CajunCenturion]

==> Nope; there is as much chance of a 6 number run as any 6 numbers coming up
That's true, the odds of 1-2-3-4-5-6 (drawn in any order) are the same as the odds of 23-41-18-2-44-49 (drawn in any order).
That's a straightforward combination;[tt]
n!
C = --------
p!(n-p)!
[/tt]Which for 6 balls in a 49 ball lottery is[tt]
49!
C = --------
6! * 43!
[/tt]Which is 49 * 8 * 47 * 23 * 3 * 11 = 13,983,816

So the question now becomes, how many six number sequences are there? 44. So the odds of a six run sequences in a 49 ball game are 1 : (44 / 13,983,816)




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[CajunCenturion]

It turns out there is a 1 in 317,814 chance of having six consecutive numbers.

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[CajunCenturion]

In last night's (Sept 20, 2006), Louisiana Lotto, the winning numbers were:

10 - 28 - 29 - 31 - 32 - 33

So close.

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[IknowMe]

CC, was there a winner with those numbers?

Wow, I'm having amnesia and deja vu at the same time.
I think I've forgotten this before.

 

[Olaf Doschke]

Hi MrMilson,

in german lotto (also 6 out of 49) once the winning numbers were 3 twinnumbers or something of that sort, don't know the exact numbers. But there were about 90 winners each winning rather few money that week.

Bye, Olaf.

 

[CajunCenturion]

As far as I know, no, there was no winner.

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To get the most from your Tek-Tips experience, please read FAQ181-2886
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein