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How Random is Your Lottery
When it comes to the lottery, there is one contentious topic which is always hotly debated. The opponents fall into two camps. One side proclaims that there is nothing you can do to improve your chances of winning the lottery jackpot and the other side disagrees. This debate centers on the meaning of these two words: Random Draw.
The catalyst in this entire debate is the misunderstood meaning of the word Random. It is not only misunderstood by most people but, also, misapplied in most cases. It is surrounded by a fog of misunderstanding, misinformation and misapplication. So, let's see if we can lift the fog.
Shortly after an experiment begins where random selections are made, it is not unusual for someone to notice that certain patterns and trends begin to emerge. Mathematicians, scientists and engineers are all aware of this. In fact, in any random process, fluctuations occur at the beginning and eventually dissipate with the passage of time. So, when questioned about this phenomenon, the mathematician would probably respond by saying, 'Well, you haven't run enough trials yet.' In other words, give it time.
Guess what? I totally agree! But, bear in mind that the mathematician's focus is on the long term because he knows that the results will vindicate his position. On the other hand, I am focused on the short term because I know the results will also support my position. Let's use the classical example of a random game to see who's right. Let's flip for it.
A coin is flipped 100 times. After words, the results are 65 Heads and 35 Tails; an obvious trend has appeared. Undaunted, the mathematician says, 'That's simply an anomaly. If you run more trials, eventually, the results will even out.' So, the coin is flipped some more until it's flipped 1,000 times. Results: 550 Heads and 450 Tails. It is easy to see that the results are starting to move in the direction predicted by the mathematician.
But, still not good enough. So, the coin is flipped 10,000 times and, lo and behold; 5010 Heads and 4990 Tails. For all intents and purposes, the occurrences of Heads and Tails are equal and the mathematician happily sends us on our way with a pat on the back, knowing that he has done his job and proven that the game is random.
But wait a second! It wasn't very random after 100 trials. It was somewhat more random after 1,000 trials. And now, after 10,000 trials, it looks like the results of flipping a coin are pretty random. And, this is the crux of the misunderstanding surrounding the word random. Random doesn't mean that patterns and trends do not exist because they always do. It does mean that eventually, given enough time or enough trials, there will be no discernable trend.
Some of you might be asking, 'What does this have to do with Winning the Lottery?' The answer is, 'Everything!' In the random process of flipping a coin, there are only 2 possible outcomes. It took 10,000 trials before a mathematician could say unequivocally that the process was random. In a 6/54 lottery, as an example, there are 25,827,165 possible outcomes! Do you see where this is going? At two drawings per week, it will take 10's of thousands of years before we ever reach the point where all lottery numbers will have occurred approximately the same number of times. My friend, you're not going to be here that long. And, in this analogy, the short term is your LIFE TIME!
So, it is alright. Come out from underneath the blanket and take a peek. I promise the lottery number patterns and trends won't bite. They are there for everyone to see. Plus, they are FREE. You can use them to improve your chances of winning the lottery jackpot in your life time. The clock is ticking. So, do you have TIME to play the lottery?
About the Author Professor Dolph is a world-famous Lottery expert, lecturer and columnist who developed the breakthrough lottery software known as LONA. For a new and refreshing look the lottery, visit Winning the Lottery.
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