Strange results from the verified record
Strange lottery drawings that really happened
Four-number runs. All-odd lines. Numbers packed into a tiny range. Big repeats from one drawing to the next. Here are the real Powerball and Mega Millions results behind them.
- Published
- Updated
- Data through
The quick version
Lottery history gets stranger than most tickets look.
Surprise 1
Yes, consecutive numbers really do show up.
Roughly three out of every ten drawings in this record contained at least one neighboring pair. These two results pushed that idea much further with four-number runs.
550 of 1963 drawings included at least one consecutive pair.
764 of 2497 drawings included at least one consecutive pair.
Surprise 2
Some winning lines were completely odd—or completely even.
Most drawings mix odd and even numbers. The outliers below are memorable because every main number landed on the same side.
- All odd
- 51
- All even
- 52
- All odd
- 52
- All even
- 83
Surprise 3
Five numbers can crowd into a surprisingly small space.
The spread is simply the distance from the lowest main number to the highest. These are the tightest clusters after accounting for the number pool available at the time.
All five main numbers landed between 44 and 51 in a 1–59 field.
All five main numbers landed between 27 and 33 in a 1–70 field.
Surprise 4
One drawing can echo the one before it.
Highlighted balls appeared in both results. The largest overlaps in the stored record contained 3 repeated Powerball numbers and 3 repeated Mega Millions numbers.
Repeated balls: 2, 26, 45
Repeated balls: 14, 28, 47
Behind the story
How we checked the drawings
We analyzed the historical drawings currently available and validated in the Work The Numbers database, removed void and structurally invalid rows, and evaluated Powerball and Mega Millions separately. Measurements involving the size of the number field were adjusted for the rules in force on each drawing date.
Powerball coverage: – · 1,963 valid drawings
Mega Millions coverage: – · 2,497 valid drawings
The archive has gaps in some earlier years, so record claims apply to the stored data analyzed here. Calculation version: research-v1.
Try it yourself
Explore the numbers behind the stories.
Continue with context
Put unusual-looking results in context.
- Interpret responsiblyLearn responsible number selectionSeparate the way a line is chosen from its unchanged probability of being drawn.
- Investigate the recordCompare drawing shapes visuallyInspect spacing, parity, and repeats across the verified historical record.
- See related recordsExamine statistical extremesReview the verified record holders and their supporting drawings.