Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!att!dptg!pegasus!psrc From: psrc@pegasus.ATT.COM (Paul S. R. Chisholm) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc Subject: Re: Lotto numbers Summary: what might work, what won't work, and what's available Message-ID: <4537@pegasus.ATT.COM> Date: 18 Mar 90 23:44:25 GMT References: <9240023@hpmcaa.mcm.hp.com> Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories Lines: 62 In article <9240023@hpmcaa.mcm.hp.com>, nacer@hpmcaa.mcm.hp.com (Abdenacer Moussaoui) writes: > Does anyone know if lotto numbers are available anywhere in electronic > form? can be downloaded? > > Any info on where to get lotto drawn numbers or lotto related > programs is greatly appreciated. Okay, there's no way I'm going to post this without a caveat. There is no way of predicting what numbers will be drawn in a fair lottery. The operators have a great deal of motivation to make the numbers truly random. Possible numbers that have never been drawn are no more likely to be drawn next Thursday than numbers that have been drawn a hundred times. (I assume no cheating; if there is cheating, software won't help you, either.) There are numbers that people are more or less likely to draw. In a four digit lottery, the first two digits are more likely 01 through 12 than 00 or 42 or 99, because a lot of people pick birthdays and such. For more information, check out the first chapter, "How to win at the lottery", in Becker's (?) book on S; he does a lot of statistical analysis, and concludes that enough people have caught on the this trick that the edge is gone, relative to the odds and the percentages. I can quote the last sentence from memory (pretty well): "Maybe this chapter should have been titled, 'How to lose less at the lottery.'" Having said that, Public Brand Software, in their latest (v.6, #1) catalog, list four disks on this topic. HP 23.3 includes "33 tables of 5, 6, and 7-digit lotter results to April, 1989. Included is [sic.] AZ; CA; Canada 36, 49, 649; CT; DC; DE; FL; IL; IA; KS; KS-B; MA Mega, Million; MD; MI; MO; NJ; NY 40, 54; OH; OR; PA; PA 7; RI; Tristate; WA; WV; WV Easy 8. Many of these states have several lotteries -- we can't tell if any one you might be interested is here." The shareware registration fee for this program and its database is listed as $40-$80; registration buys you the current release of "an expanded version" of the software, and a printed manual (but no tech support, newsletter, or free upgrades). I've ordered several times from Public Brand Software. They have excellent descriptions, and I applaud them for listing the registration fee for shareware. They're a bit pricey, as such firms go: $5 per disk (5.25" *or* 3.5", which is new for them), plus 5% sales tax in Indiana, plus $5 shipping and handling. To order, call 1-800-426-DISK (that is, 1-800-426-3475), or 1-800-727-3476 in Indiana, or 1-317-856-7571 in Indianapolis, all twenty-four hours a day (except noon to one p.m. on Fridays); or P.O. Box 51315, Indianapolis, IN 46251. They take personal checks, Visa, MasterCard, and money orders; they can ship COD; and they accept Purchase Orders for "over $65 from most companies, schools, government units. Terms NET 30." They also say, "U.S. funds only. For foreign orders, it is bet to use Visa/MC." (If you want to get a lot of software, they have it all on a BBS, and charge $50/year for an hour a day of access.) You can call or write for their catalog. > BTW. Is there a more appropriate group for such a question? How about misc.jobs.not.wanted?-) Paul S. R. Chisholm, AT&T Bell Laboratories att!pegasus!psrc, psrc@pegasus.att.com, AT&T Mail !psrchisholm I'm not speaking for the company, I'm just speaking my mind.