Jump to content

Talk:EuroMillions/Archives/2016

Page contents not supported in other languages.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Probability table correct?

Did anyone check the probability of winning in the article? According to the article it is 1/76*10^6. However, if I recall correctly, all events are independent and should therefore be multiplied together leading to 1/(50*49*48*47*46*9*8) = 1/18*10^9. Hence the probability of guessing all 5 numbers and 2 stars is much smaller and it will also impact all other probabilities in the article. 94.224.68.133 (talk) 00:11, 14 February 2010 (UTC)

Your method of calculation does not take into account that there multiple opportunities for the numbers to be drawn. For example if you have selected a given number (say 39) the chances of that number being drawn initially is 50:5 because there are five numbers drawn. As the numbers are drawn, it becomes progressively harder for your subsequent numbers to be drawn: thus the correct formula is 50/5x49/4x48/3x47/2x46x11/2x10 (assuming 11 lucky starts at time of writing.46.7.85.68 (talk) 18:48, 9 April 2015 (UTC)

The odds are 1 in 76,275,360, as there are that many unique combinations of numbers. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.73.137.185 (talk) 13:40, 14 February 2010 (UTC)

Just took a look at these and I am pretty certain the odds for 5 main balls is wrong: I propose 50/5x49/4x48/3x47/2x46 = 2118759/146.7.85.68 (talk) 18:48, 9 April 2015 (UTC)

I thought the same thing, but then I noticed that the probability for at least 5 main balls would be . This includes the chance of getting 5 main balls and 2 stars () and 5 main balls and 1 star (). Without these cases, the probability for exactly 5 main balls and 0 stars would be . 89.217.175.22 (talk) 22:54, 22 April 2016 (UTC)

You are absolutely spot on with your calculations, though the odds have since changed. The odds I had calculated were for getting five balls only, and did not take into account the possibilities of getting 5+1 or 5+2. Thanks for the correction.46.7.85.68 (talk) 21:14, 14 October 2016 (UTC)

Booster Fund discrepancies.

Has anybody noticed that under the new format, the Booster fun has been cut from 8.6%v to 4.8%? The publicity put out by the Lottery companies is that the recent recent 25% increase in ticket prices will increase the size and frequency of the jackpots, but by my calculations, even if revenues are increased by 25%, this will only produce 6% in real terms based on the old booster fund. In case I haven't made myself clear, under the old rate, if the prize fund was say £20,000,000, then the booster fund would get £1.72 mill. But if we all decide to carry on buying the same number of tickets each week, the £20 mill prize fund becomes £25 mill, but the booster fund us is reduced to £1.2 mill.46.7.85.68 (talk) 21:29, 14 October 2016 (UTC)