Do all LOTTO combinations (at least 6 numbers) eventually come out?

Question

Let's say your grandfather played LOTTO like it is in many states.

He played the same '6' numbers all his life.

He passed those numbers on to his son/daughter and he/she played the combination.

Then, when the son or daughter passed, the children did the same in their generation.

Assuming LOTTO to be what it is where ever you live, what would you estimate the chances for a "6' of "6' hit for this family?

Answer 1

The other respondants are correct - to a point. As the number of draws increase, the cumulative chance for any given combination being drawn increases as well (the chance for a 6/6 match for any one given draw remains fixed). However, the cumulative chance will never hit 100% - merely approach it as # of draws approaches infinity.

Answer 2

The odds are the same that any combination will will drawn in any perticular drawing, so every combination should eventually be drawn.  That said, there is one, and only one way to improve your chances (other than betting more money on more combinations).  Choose combinations that include all od the numbers that are in play (for example, if your lotto draws 6 numbers from a possible 60, make sure that you've got all 60 covered.  Doesn't improve the odds of your having the winning combination, just that you will be sure to have selected the winning numbers.

Answer 3

Sorry to disappoint you here but they are the same, statistically, as any other combination of 6 numbers.

The UK lottery has 49 possible numbers and the chances of landing the correct 6 are just under 15,000,000 : 1. That's simple maths and it can never change. You could play the same number set 15 million times but each time you play them, you stand a 1 in 15 million chance of winning. For ever. Ad infinitum. To infinity and beyond!!

No different to a coin toss. Probability demands that you are just as likely to flip 100 tails consecutively as you are 100 heads or 50 of each. They all stand the same chance of happening.

With the lottery, this means the odds of your numbers coming up every week are the same. Feels weird I know but that's reality.

For every time you play the lottery, the odds are not magically reduced by one, they remain the same. That's fixed odds for you, fixed by the maths involved in discerning the probability of 6 numbers being picked out of a string of 49 unique numbers.

Makes you wonder why you play doesn't it? I do because if the numbers I have been playing for 10 years or more were ever to come up, I'm not sure I could forgive myself if I'd decided to stop playing. That's the hook!

Our UK lottery fund does a huge amount for many charities and organisations so I can see myself as a silent charitable donator!