Your numbers cannot change your odds
Every combination is exactly as likely as every other one. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 has precisely the same chance as any set that looks more random, because the machine has no idea what the numbers mean.
So nothing on this page improves your chances, and any tool claiming to spot hot numbers, cold numbers or numbers that are due is either mistaken or selling something. Past draws tell you nothing about the next one.
They do change your share, and that part is real
Here is the thing that is actually true and almost never mentioned. People pick birthdays. Somewhere between a quarter and a third of all lines are dates, which means:
- Every number from 1 to 31 is chosen far more often than the numbers above it.
- 1 to 12 most of all, because they are months as well as days.
- The high numbers, 32 upwards, are comparatively unloved.
A jackpot is split between everybody holding the winning line. So a winning line made entirely of low numbers gets shared with more people than one containing 45 and 52. Identical chance of winning, smaller cheque.
That is the only reason to care which numbers you pick, and it is why there is a switch here to draw only from the high end. It does not make the line likelier. It makes the win, if it ever comes, bigger.
The odds are worked out, not quoted
Every figure here comes out of the combination formula rather than being copied from somewhere:
- Lotto: 6 from 59, which is 45,057,474 combinations.
- EuroMillions: 5 from 50 is 2,118,760, multiplied by 66 possible Lucky Star pairs, giving 139,838,160.
- Thunderball: 5 from 39 and 1 from 14, which is 8,060,598.
- Set For Life: 5 from 47 and 1 from 10, which is 15,339,390.
The tests assert those published numbers fall out of the arithmetic, so if the calculation were wrong the tests would say so rather than agreeing with a figure somebody typed in.
More lines, in proportion
Twenty lines is twenty times the chance and twenty times the cost, which takes Lotto from 1 in 45 million to roughly 1 in 2.3 million. That is a genuine twentyfold improvement on a number so large that it makes no practical difference to anybody.
Nothing here is stored. The lines are generated in your browser, they exist nowhere else, and reloading the page loses them.
Common questions
Can picking different numbers improve my chances?
No. Every combination is equally likely, so no line is luckier than another and nothing on this page will help you win. Anyone claiming otherwise is selling something.
So why does the tool talk about which numbers to pick?
Because your numbers change your SHARE, even though they cannot change your odds. Somewhere around a quarter to a third of all lines are birthdays, so every number from 1 to 31 is picked far more often than 32 upwards. A winning line made of low numbers is split with more people than one containing 45 and 52. Same chance of winning, smaller cheque.
Where do the odds figures come from?
They are calculated from the game rather than copied off a website: 6 from 59 is 45,057,474 combinations, and EuroMillions is 2,118,760 main combinations multiplied by 66 Lucky Star pairs, which gives 139,838,160. The tests check those figures fall out of the arithmetic.
What does the "only numbers above 31" option do?
Draws every number from 32 upwards, so no part of the line can be read as a date. It does not make the line likelier, and a run of high numbers is exactly as probable as any other run. It just means fewer people are likely to have the same one.
Does buying more lines help?
In proportion, and no more than that. Twenty lines is twenty times the chance and twenty times the cost, which moves the odds from 1 in 45 million to about 1 in 2.3 million. That is a real improvement on a number so large it makes no practical difference.
Are my numbers saved anywhere?
No. They are generated in your browser and exist nowhere else. Reloading the page loses them, so copy them before you go.
Why are only UK games here?
Because the rules and the number pools differ by country, and a game listed with the wrong pool would produce lines that cannot be played. These four are the UK National Lottery draws.
Is a random line better than my usual numbers?
Not for winning, because both are equally likely. A random line is likelier to contain high numbers than a set of family birthdays, so on average it is shared less if it comes up. That is the only difference and it is a small one.