SA PowerBall 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 | 442 | 435.0 | |
| 1 | 411 | 435.0 | |
| 2 | 427 | 435.0 | |
| 3 | 455 | 435.0 | |
| 4 | 422 | 435.0 | |
| 5 | 444 | 435.0 | |
| 6 | 417 | 435.0 | |
| 7 | 403 | 435.0 | |
| 8 | 455 | 435.0 | |
| 9 | 474 | 435.0 |
How many different last digits does a draw have?
| Observed | Share | Expected | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 different | 299 | 34.4 % | 37.2 % |
| 4 different | 441 | 50.7 % | 49.5 % |
| 3 different | 120 | 13.8 % | 12.8 % |
| 2 different | 10 | 1.1 % | 0.5 % |
| 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.