They can't even get the simplest things right. How are citizens supposed to be informed?

One more perfect example of why reading the news makes you dumber.

Neb. lottery draws same numbers twice in row
The odds of such an odd occurrence? One in a million
The Associated Press
updated 9:36 p.m. ET, Thurs., Jan. 22, 2009
OMAHA, Neb. - The odds are against something this odd.

A Nebraska Lottery official says the winning numbers for the state's Pick 3 lottery on Tuesday were exactly the same as the winning combination from the night before.

Lottery spokesman Brian Rockey says one of two lottery computers that randomly generate combinations picked the numbers 1, 9 and 6 — in that order — for Monday night's drawing. He says the other computer picked the same three numbers Tuesday in the same sequence.

The odds of such an occurrence? One in a million.

Rockey says one person won the game's top prize of $600 Monday — but didn't win again the next night. Three other people won Tuesday's prize.


Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28802581/from/ET/?gt1=43001

Some failed math. lol

I think I can see why they say that they odds are one in a million.

If you check the Nebraska Lottery page, they claim the odds of winning range from 1 in 4.12 to 1 in 1,000 depending on how you play the game. I'm guessing that they used the standard 'squaring of the odds' to come to the 1 in a million figure.

It's a one in a million shot. But every once in a while, that one comes through. If you do it a million times, it's going to come up once. One in a million chances doesn't predict when that one will come...

(01-23-2009 11:48 AM)Bourgeois_Rage Wrote:  I think I can see why they say that they odds are one in a million.

If you check the Nebraska Lottery page, they claim the odds of winning range from 1 in 4.12 to 1 in 1,000 depending on how you play the game. I'm guessing that they used the standard 'squaring of the odds' to come to the 1 in a million figure.

That makes no sense. If the odds of any 3-digit sequence being the winning sequence on a given night is 1:1000 then the next night the odds of that same sequence are the same 1:1000.

(01-23-2009 12:44 PM)moe24 Wrote:  

(01-23-2009 11:48 AM)Bourgeois_Rage Wrote:  I think I can see why they say that they odds are one in a million.

If you check the Nebraska Lottery page, they claim the odds of winning range from 1 in 4.12 to 1 in 1,000 depending on how you play the game. I'm guessing that they used the standard 'squaring of the odds' to come to the 1 in a million figure.

That makes no sense. If the odds of any 3-digit sequence being the winning sequence on a given night is 1:1000 then the next night the odds of that same sequence are the same 1:1000.

The calculation isn't for the one sequence coming up. It's for the same sequence coming up twice in a row. Or if you prefer 1000 times 1000, which equals 1,000,000. I take it you didn't take statistics...

(01-23-2009 11:48 AM)Bourgeois_Rage Wrote:  I think I can see why they say that they odds are one in a million.

If you check the Nebraska Lottery page, they claim the odds of winning range from 1 in 4.12 to 1 in 1,000 depending on how you play the game. I'm guessing that they used the standard 'squaring of the odds' to come to the 1 in a million figure.

I confess to not being familiar w/ the application of "squaring of the odds".
I just figured they looked at it and thought getting 1:1000 two times meant 1:1000000, which is a misunderstanding of the event. The sort of thing you learn in 10th grade.

On a side note, 1:1000 isn't that rare. It should happen in each state that runs a Pick 3 game, once every 3 years or so. I'm curious if that's been observed.

This is the first time I've ever heard of such a thing happening, DrTorch. That's not to say it hasn't happened previously. But it's never been publically acknowledged before...

I think the odds are 1:1000 that the given combination will come up for one game. Yes, the odds are the same for the next game that that combination will come up again, 1:1000. But the odds for picking the correct combination twice in a row the odds would be 1:1000000. Link It's the odds of winning the pick 3 twice.

With probabilities like 1:1000, I don't think it is as impossible as one may think. With many picks it is probable that it will happen eventually.

Here's an example of pick 4 in Pennsylvannia in 2003.

(01-23-2009 01:06 PM)Bourgeois_Rage Wrote:  I think the odds are 1:1000 that the given combination will come up for one game. Yes, the odds are the same for the next game that that combination will come up again, 1:1000. But the odds for picking the correct combination twice in a row the odds would be 1:1000000. Link It's the odds of winning the pick 3 twice.

I understand that. But this wasn't about winning twice, it was about the same number, any number, coming up on consecutive days.

It's easy to understand where the mistake came from...but that doesn't mean I respect someone more for it.

(01-23-2009 01:06 PM)Bourgeois_Rage Wrote:  Here's an example of pick 4 in Pennsylvannia in 2003.

Good link. I remember growing up one year the Ohio Lottery's Pick 3 game had 317 on St Patricks Day. Cool enough that you get the date w/ your pick, but to be on a day like that!

(01-23-2009 01:10 PM)DrTorch Wrote:  

(01-23-2009 01:06 PM)Bourgeois_Rage Wrote:  I think the odds are 1:1000 that the given combination will come up for one game. Yes, the odds are the same for the next game that that combination will come up again, 1:1000. But the odds for picking the correct combination twice in a row the odds would be 1:1000000. Link It's the odds of winning the pick 3 twice.

I understand that. But this wasn't about winning twice, it was about the same number, any number, coming up on consecutive days.

It's easy to understand where the mistake came from...but that doesn't mean I respect someone more for it.

The two scenarios are the same; picking the correct number out of one thousand twice in a row.The odds are still the same.

(01-23-2009 02:31 PM)Fanatical Wrote:  

(01-23-2009 01:10 PM)DrTorch Wrote:  

(01-23-2009 01:06 PM)Bourgeois_Rage Wrote:  I think the odds are 1:1000 that the given combination will come up for one game. Yes, the odds are the same for the next game that that combination will come up again, 1:1000. But the odds for picking the correct combination twice in a row the odds would be 1:1000000. Link It's the odds of winning the pick 3 twice.

I understand that. But this wasn't about winning twice, it was about the same number, any number, coming up on consecutive days.

It's easy to understand where the mistake came from...but that doesn't mean I respect someone more for it.

The two scenarios are the same; picking the correct number out of one thousand twice in a row.The odds are still the same.

No, you don't have to pick any number on the first day.

Speaking strickly of mathmatical odds, if the numbers were "picked" or not is beside the point. The chances of a repeat number coming up in consecutive rounds are the same as winning random picked numbers in consecutive rounds.

(01-23-2009 02:44 PM)Fanatical Wrote:  Speaking strickly of mathmatical odds, if the numbers were "picked" or not is beside the point. The chances of a repeat number coming up in consecutive rounds are the same as winning random picked numbers in consecutive rounds.

No it is precisely the point. Seems understanding the issue is something you still have problems with. The way the question is asked is critical to getting the correct answer.

The odds of a number the first day are 1:1. Simply put, a number will be picked, that's all that needs be done. There is no match to be made that first day. Matching that with the second day's drawing is 1:1000.

If you wish to pick a winning number on the first day, that is 1:1000, getting that number two times in a row is 1:1000000.

The number on the previous day was picked randomly at a chance of 1:1000.

I see what you're saying. The same number peing picked the next day is 1:1000, but the same numbers randomly picked consecutively is 1:1000000

(01-23-2009 12:37 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  It's a one in a million shot. But every once in a while, that one comes through. If you do it a million times, it's going to come up once. One in a million chances doesn't predict when that one will come...

The odds that two consecutive drawings would both have 1-9-6 are 1:10^6. The same is true for each of the other 1000 possible sequences.
The odds that two consecutive drawings would match are 1:10^3.

The classic example is this: if you are in a class of 30 students, what are the odds that someone else has the same birthday as you? What are the odds that there are two or more students with the same birthday?

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IT WAS AN INSIDE JOB !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



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