Picking winning lottery numbers is no easy task. With odds of winning the jackpot often in the millions or even billions to one, it can seem almost impossible to select the magical combination that will bring you riches beyond your wildest dreams. However, while chance plays a huge role in determining the winning numbers, certain numbers do tend to come up more often than others. By carefully studying past drawings and identifying these frequent fliers, you can improve your odds ever so slightly and hopefully win a nice prize, even if not the enormous jackpot.
Analyzing Lottery Drawing Data
The first step to identifying potentially winning lottery numbers is to analyze data from past drawings. Most lotteries publish historical results on their websites, which allows you to see the numbers drawn over many years or even decades. By compiling this data into a spreadsheet or database, you can begin to calculate the frequencies at which different numbers have been chosen. Numbers that have come up most often in previous drawings could be more likely to be picked again in the future.
When studying drawing histories, you’ll want to analyze lottery games that use randomly generated numbers rather than pre-printed tickets. Games like Powerball and Mega Millions in the United States or EuroMillions in Europe rely purely on randomness, making their past results more applicable for predicting future outcomes. On the other hand, scratch cards and some regional lottery games use manufactured batches of tickets, so their historical data is less useful for number picking strategies.
You’ll also want to look at recent drawing results rather than just overall histories. While a number like 7 may have come up 100 times over a game’s 30 year lifespan, if it hasn’t been chosen at all in the past year, it may not be the best selection for an upcoming drawing. Focus your analysis on numbers drawn within the past 10, 50, or 100 drawings to get a picture of current trends.
Identifying Hot and Cold Numbers
Once you’ve compiled drawing data, you can begin identifying “hot” and “cold” numbers. Hot numbers are those that have come up frequently in recent drawings, suggesting they have a higher probability of being selected again. Cold numbers, on the other hand, haven’t made an appearance in many draws, making them potentially overdue to hit.
To find hot numbers, look for those that have been chosen as winning numbers a higher than average number of times over a recent span of drawings. For example, you might find that the number 27 was drawn 5 times over the last 100 Powerball drawings, compared to an average of 3 times for all numbers. This elevated frequency marks 27 as a hot number worth considering.
For cold numbers, look for those that have been absent from winning number combinations over a series of recent draws. If the number 43 hasn’t appeared at all as a Powerball number over the past 50 drawings, while numbers are usually chosen around once every 50 draws, 43 could be labeled a cold number possibly ready for a return.
Exactly how you define “hot” and “cold” can vary. Some people consider numbers hot if they’ve occurred twice as frequently as the average over a period of draws. Others may label numbers cold if they’ve been absent for 2-3 times longer than the average gap between appearances for all numbers.
Hot vs Cold Numbers Debate
There are differing schools of thought when it comes to the validity of choosing hot or cold numbers. Some lottery analysts claim hot numbers are the way to go, believing they are “lucky” or on some kind of roll that increases their odds moving forward. Others prefer cold numbers, viewing them as overdue and bound to come up after long dry spells. There are also those who think hot and cold trends are purely coincidental, and that every number has an equal random chance of being chosen on any given draw.
Historical drawing data does not conclusively settle this debate. While some winning numbers could be classified as hot or cold right before they are drawn, there are also plenty of examples of the opposite occurring. A supposedly ice cold number might hit the very next drawing or a hot number may suddenly go dozens of draws without appearing again.
At the end of the day, there is no definitive evidence that hot or cold numbers are intrinsically more likely to be picked than any other number. However, since wins usually require matching multiple numbers (5-6 is common for major lotteries), including both some hot and some cold picks on your ticket could help hedge your bets. This approach covers you whether the next numbers follow hot trends, cold trends, or exhibit no particular tendency either way.
Most Common Overall Numbers
Setting aside short term trends, some numbers clearly come up as winning picks more often than others over the long haul. By looking at overall historical drawing data spanning decades, we can identify the lottery numbers that get chosen most frequently. These are always worth considering including in your number selections, as they will give you an edge over numbers that hardly ever get picked.
Here are the top 10 most frequently chosen lottery numbers when aggregating data across major games like Powerball and Mega Millions:
| Number | Overall Frequency |
| 7 | 987 times |
| 2 | 967 times |
| 4 | 949 times |
| 6 | 930 times |
| 5 | 929 times |
| 9 | 907 times |
| 10 | 899 times |
| 3 | 898 times |
| 1 | 895 times |
| 8 | 890 times |
As you can see, the number 7 has been chosen the most, followed closely by 2, 4, 6, 5 and others. Though these frequencies are close enough that differences this small could be attributed to chance alone, it still seems prudent to include some of these top numbers if you want to maximize your probability of matching winning picks.
Most Common Numbers by Lottery Game
You can conduct an even more tailored analysis by looking at the top numbers specifically for your lottery game of choice. The most frequently winning numbers for games like Powerball or Mega Millions are shown below:
Powerball
| Number | Frequency |
| 39 | 367 times |
| 2 | 364 times |
| 7 | 362 times |
| 4 | 360 times |
| 23 | 355 times |
Mega Millions
| Number | Frequency |
| 7 | 487 times |
| 14 | 482 times |
| 4 | 476 times |
| 1 | 471 times |
| 10 | 468 times |
While there is again overlap with commonly chosen numbers across different lottery games, each game’s idiosyncrasies lead to some numbers being selected more often than others specifically for that game. Checking for frequent numbers by game can give you an extra edge.
Least Common Overall Numbers
Looking at the flip side, we can also identify the least frequently chosen lottery numbers overall. These numbers could be considered risky selections since they seem to rarely get picked. However, their very rarity could also make them tantalizing since they are overdue to come up. Here are the bottom 10 numbers by overall selection frequency:
| Number | Overall Frequency |
| 43 | 774 times |
| 12 | 781 times |
| 41 | 789 times |
| 15 | 790 times |
| 21 | 791 times |
| 37 | 792 times |
| 27 | 794 times |
| 13 | 803 times |
| 29 | 804 times |
| 46 | 805 times |
Number 43 has come up less often than any other overall. But again, the relative frequencies are close, so there is likely minimal true advantage or disadvantage in choosing rarer numbers like these. Still, if you had to choose long shots, these unpopular numbers could be appealing lottery picks.
Least Common Numbers by Lottery Game
The least frequently winning numbers for specific big jackpot games are:
Powerball
| Number | Frequency |
| 26 | 281 times |
| 48 | 283 times |
| 50 | 284 times |
| 51 | 284 times |
| 47 | 286 times |
Mega Millions
| Number | Frequency |
| 51 | 415 times |
| 45 | 419 times |
| 47 | 422 times |
| 33 | 424 times |
| 52 | 425 times |
These data points allow you to avoid choosing the worst performing numbers for the lottery game you are playing. However, it’s debatable whether shunning them provides any mathematical advantage.
Most Overdue Numbers
Some lottery players like choosing numbers that are the most overdue based on previous drawings. This involves looking for numbers that have gone the longest without being picked. The thinking is that excessively overdue numbers have an increased probability of finally being selected, sort of like how you’re more likely to get heads after a long string of tails during a coin flip experiment.
Determining the current most overdue numbers again requires analyzing drawing histories. For Powerball, here are the top 5 numbers with the longest dry spells leading up to recent drawings:
| Number | Drawings Since Last Appearance |
| 27 | 78 drawings |
| 12 | 76 drawings |
| 7 | 70 drawings |
| 10 | 67 drawings |
| 53 | 64 drawings |
If you believe in picking overdue numbers, focusing your number selections on the ones above could help. However, skeptics think that how long a number hasn’t appeared has no actual bearing on its probability for upcoming drawings.
Use a Random Number Generator
If all the data analysis seems tedious or you don’t think frequency analysis provides any true advantage, you can always leverage randomness directly by using a random number generator to select lottery numbers for you. Many lottery apps offer random number generators, which base selections purely on computer algorithms rather than any kind of statistical sampling. There are also online random number generators you can use as well as options like pulling numbers from a hat.
Going the random number route surrenders complete control but also frees you from sweating the numbers. And hey, the lottery itself is already random, so why not fight fire with fire? If you opt for randomness, be sure to still structure your number picks appropriately for the lottery game you are playing (for example, 5 main numbers plus a Powerball for Powerball games).
Leverage Systems and Wheeling
Rather than choosing numbers individually, some lottery players like to use systems and wheeling approaches. Lottery systems involve applying algorithms or sets of rules to generate potential number combinations. You can find many examples online developed by lottery enthusiasts. Systems aim to increase the odds of winning a prize, although they do not actually enhance the probability of hitting the jackpot. Wheeling, meanwhile, is a method for generating a large set of number permutations from a smaller pool of numbers you select. Wheeling guarantees wins if certain numbers hit, and both covers more possibilities and helps organize multiple ticket buys.
Consult Numerology
For the mystically minded, numerology is another source you can consult when picking lottery numbers. Numerology finds meaning in relationships between numbers and mystical properties associated with digits. Numerologists analyze factors like the numerical values of names and dates of birth to generate important numbers they think can influence lives and events.
You can leverage numerology to help generate potential winning lottery numbers by using personally relevant numbers rather than just statistical drawing frequencies. Look for numbers related to your name, birthdate, addresses, ages of family members, and other numerologically important dates or figures in your life. While numerology and other mystical practices are highly debatable, the entertainment factor alone may be worth considering them.
Trust Your Intuition
Some people simply play hunches when selecting lottery numbers. Using your personal intuition, favorite numbers, lucky numbers, or other subjective sources may seem non-scientific, but if you’ve ever dreamed about winning the lottery with certain digits, there may be something to it. Your unconscious mind may have deep wisdom, so trust in fortune cookie or horoscope numbers, memorable dates, and other arbitrary numbers speaking to you based on life experiences.
At the very least, choosing numbers with personal meaning will let you relate to potential winning picks on a deep level. Just don’t go overboard reading into signs, as lottery drawing outcomes are never assured!
Conclusion
While no approach for selecting lottery numbers guarantees success or radically shifts the odds, analyzing hot, cold, frequent, infrequent, overdue and game-specific digits gives you an edge and at least provides some guidance. If you don’t want to crunch numbers, quick pick and random generators are always available. Or for a more personal path, turn to numerological and intuitive techniques. Regardless of method, always remember that lottery drawings boil down to pure chance!
