Mega Millions last-digit statistics: how are the final digits distributed?
Last digit = the final digit of a number (7, 17, 27 … have the last digit 7). A popular strategy says the winning numbers should have as many different last digits as possible. Here are the figures.
Frequency of each last digit
| Last digit | Observed | Expected | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 484 | 468.5 | |
| 1 | 461 | 468.5 | |
| 2 | 477 | 468.5 | |
| 3 | 476 | 468.5 | |
| 4 | 480 | 468.5 | |
| 5 | 420 | 468.5 | |
| 6 | 479 | 468.5 | |
| 7 | 459 | 468.5 | |
| 8 | 497 | 468.5 | |
| 9 | 452 | 468.5 |
How many different last digits does a draw have?
| Observed | Share | Expected | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 different | 294 | 31.4 % | 35.0 % |
| 4 different | 486 | 51.9 % | 49.9 % |
| 3 different | 146 | 15.6 % | 14.3 % |
| 2 different | 11 | 1.2 % | 0.7 % |
| 1 different | 0 | 0.0 % | 0.0 % |
Line with different last digits
Expected values are exact or simulated, assuming purely random draws. The draws follow chance exactly, and a last-digit rule does not change your chance of winning.