Talk:Lotto 6/49

I think Lotto 6/49 has been going in Germany for 50 years and was invented there. This should be the main theme of a Lotto 6/49 entry.

See:

http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/0,1518,378904,00.html

Was it actually called Lotto 6/49? If so then perhaps a Lotto 6/49 (Germany) article can be created. 23skidoo 01:57, 13 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Slight error in reported odds

Hi - I have written most of the Lottery Math article, and, though not really important, there's a slight error in this article's reported odds for 5 balls (and no bonus ball). You say that it's 1 in 55,492 - but I have calculated it as 166474/3 = 55491.3333 recurring (see bonus ball section), which rounds to 1 in 55,491. I am confident I am right about this, because I have calculated all outcomes for this lottery as fractions, and they add up to 1 exactly (as they should). --New Thought 00:30, 11 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A very reasonable explanation for this has been given here.--New Thought 15:58, 11 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Prize Pool?

How does it make sense that you win 9% of the pool with 4/6 #'s but only 4.75% with 5/6 #'s... Is this to suggest you win more money if less numbers hit? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.55.142.23 (talk) 04:46, 24 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I agree, if anyone knows the answer, please share. Why would getting 4 numbers be better than getting 5? 69.156.37.253 (talk) 02:37, 17 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Simple - the pool reflects the total prize money for all winners in that category. There are fewer people that get 5/6 numbers, so sharing the pool of 4.75% results in a larger payout per winner than sharing the pool for the 4/6 winners. For example, in the latest Lotto 6/49 (16-Jan-2008), there were 258 winners with 5/6 numbers, each getting $1,939.50 (total pool is $500,391.00, 4.75% of all winnings for that drawing), whereas 12626 winners had 4/6 numbers, each getting $75.10 (total pool is $948,212.60, 9% of all winnings for that drawing). Mindmatrix 15:22, 17 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Ahh! Excellent, I had not thought about it that way! Thank you very much for this clarification! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 199.202.95.19 (talk) 18:20, 21 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Was slightly confused, as for example, if you hit 3/6 numbers the "win" is $10. now obviously this does not imply that the entire prize pool for 3/6 is $10, but rather each person who hits 3/6 gets $10. Therefore, I had assumed that the same premise held true of 4/6 and 5/6, respectively. Thanks again! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 199.202.95.19 (talk) 18:25, 21 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Critical Evaluation

Why is the term 'social conservative' applied to the Lotto 6/49 as a form of gambling with out any support for the use of the term? Where does the evidence for social conservatives view of gambling come from?Schoeppe (talk) 06:02, 17 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Minimum Jackpot

Last Wednesday (May 21, 2008), the jackpot was $3,010,652. The article says that the jackpot prize is of at least $3,500,000. Obviously, that is incorrect. So, what is the minimum jackpot? The article should be corrected but I don't know what the minimum is. 76.65.71.14 (talk) 00:58, 24 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]