EZ2 Lotto: Winning Frequency of Each Number

Scope of Data 

The following statistics covered EZ2 lotto drawings from 5 July 2004 to 10 June 2014. The lotto numbers are ranked 1 to 31 based on the number of times the numbers were drawn.

Rank	Lotto #	Times Drawn
1	14	530
2	04	520
3	08	504
4	16	502
5	10	500
5	25	500
7	22	494
8	06	491
9	23	490
10	05	489
11	21	484
11	28	484
13	15	479
14	31	474
15	01	473
16	12	471
16	26	471
18	19	468
19	02	467
20	07	466
20	30	466
22	13	465
23	03	463
24	29	461
25	11	459
26	27	457
27	24	449
28	18	444
28	20	444
30	17	440
31	09	429

Explanation

Based on the table above, the number 14, so far, is the most frequently drawn EZ2 number, dominating 3.6% of draw occurrences. In contrast, the number 09, so far, is lagging behind the rest of the numbers, covering 2.9% of all the draw occurrences. However, the difference between the two is just 0.7%; or 101 occurrences.

How To Use The Data

The question is: would you play for the number 09 considering it is not the most frequently drawn number? The answer is yes and no. Yes, because the difference between the winning frequency of 14 and 09 is just a small percentage (0.7%). This means that the number 09 is not exactly a "lazy" number.

No, because there are other numbers to choose from. If you have to narrow down your choices, then you can eliminate the numbers that ranked low.

In a game of chance, the winner is always the producer.

There are 961 possible combinations. It is not practical to play them all. If each ticket costs P10, you are risking P9610. The maximum amount that you can win is only P4000.

The same way, if you play your numbers in either order, you risk P4960 versus the amount that you are going to win, which is only P2000. Even if, you hit a double-number combination, say 14-14, you still lose P960. Therefore, to ensure that you do not lose by default, play at most 300 combinations. In case you win, you still earn P1000. But, that is, if you win.

Therefore, it is necessary to narrow down your choices of combinations. The table above gives you an idea which numbers you would rather eliminate.

Probability or Odds of Winning

There are 961 possible combinations that can be formed from 1 to 31. These combinations consider both possible order of combinations. For example, 12-21 is one combination; the reverse order, 21-12, is another. Your odds of winning, therefore, is 1 in 961 chances.