nacer@hpmcaa.mcm.hp.com (Abdenacer Moussaoui) (03/14/90)
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. BTW. Is there a more appropriate group for such a question?
toma@tekgvs.LABS.TEK.COM (Tom Almy) (03/15/90)
[A lotto player] 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. Don't know or care. >BTW. Is there a more appropriate group for such a question? Considering that lotto games pay roughly 50 cents on the dollar, and that the numbers are picked at random (previous numbers do *not* affect the results), you should post this to alt.stupidity. :-( Tom Almy toma@tekgvs.labs.tek.com Standard Disclaimers Apply Only winners of state lotto games may flame me directly, others: copy flame nul:
djh@osc.edu (David Heisterberg) (03/16/90)
In article <7111@tekgvs.LABS.TEK.COM>, toma@tekgvs.LABS.TEK.COM (Tom Almy) writes: > [A lotto player] 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. > > Don't know or care. > Well, if you don't know or care, why don't you just keep quiet? Insults are not necessary. Perhaps the original poster is simply interested in doing some statistical analysis, for which the use of lottery numbers would add some fun. Similarly, one might use the Dow Jones average as a more interesting sequence of numbers when learning about Fourier transforms, correlation, etc. But suppose the "lotto player" *is* hoping to beat the system; many people think it can be done. But perhaps after performing some analysis he'd learn for himself that "hot streaks" and "sleepers" are nothing more than "check out line magazine science". PCs can provide a great opportunity for people to learn a little more about math and science - something this country could use - and I'd hate to see them dissuaded from doing so for fear of being ridiculed by some overly smug individuals with technical careers. -------- David J. Heisterberg djh@osc.edu The Ohio Supercomputer Center djh@ohstpy.bitnet Columbus, Ohio ohstpy::djh
psrc@pegasus.ATT.COM (Paul S. R. Chisholm) (03/19/90)
<Krasny Oktyabr: "The torpedo has acquisition!" That's the good news?> 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.
sparks@corpane.UUCP (John Sparks) (03/19/90)
toma@tekgvs.LABS.TEK.COM (Tom Almy) writes: >[A lotto player] writes: >>Does anyone know if lotto numbers are available anywhere in electronic >>form? can be downloaded? >the numbers are picked at random (previous numbers do *not* affect the >results), you should post this to alt.stupidity. :-( Except that the machines are physical, and as such certain physical effects CAN affect the outcome, so that it is not entirely random. For instance Some of the ping pong balls weigh slightly more than the others (the ball itself, and some numbers use more ink than others), so that you can look at the past performance of a certain machine and tell that some numbers come up more than others. But this usually does no good to look at past performance of other machines, only the ones you are betting on. And even that doesn't always work if they change the balls often. -- John Sparks | D.I.S.K. 24hrs 1200bps. Accessable via Starlink (Louisville KY) sparks@corpane.UUCP <><><><><><><><><><><> D.I.S.K. ph:502/968-5401 thru -5406 A virtuous life is its own punishment.
josh@cditi.UUCP (Josh Muskovitz) (03/20/90)
In article <7111@tekgvs.LABS.TEK.COM>, toma@tekgvs.LABS.TEK.COM (Tom Almy) writes: > [A lotto player] 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. > > Don't know or care. > > >BTW. Is there a more appropriate group for such a question? > > Considering that lotto games pay roughly 50 cents on the dollar, and that > the numbers are picked at random (previous numbers do *not* affect the > results), you should post this to alt.stupidity. :-( > > Tom Almy > toma@tekgvs.labs.tek.com Considering that a substantial number of people believe the universe to be deterministic, the concept of randomness is by its own nature, flawed. Perhaps one could predict (or track or study in some other way) Lotto. Since the original poster was courteous enough to ask if there was a more appropriate group, your reply was totally uncalled for. Think before you post. The world may or may not revolve around you. And if you really don't know or care, then just shut up. Josh Muskovitz Computer Design, Inc. josh@uunet!cditi Disclaimer: My employer doesn't even appro- >ack< [message terminated]
ash@mlacus.oz (Ash Nallawalla) (03/22/90)
In article <9240023@hpmcaa.mcm.hp.com>, nacer@hpmcaa.mcm.hp.com (Abdenacer Moussaoui) writes: > Any info on where to get lotto drawn numbers or lotto related > programs is greatly appreciated. > > BTW. Is there a more appropriate group for such a question? I am sure you didn't want the lotto results from the Australian Lotto Bloc or the New South Wales Lotto. As many countries (and often parts thereof) have their own lotto systems, you would be better off posting to a group that is limited to your own state or country. In Australia we can get our results from an on-air TV transmission called Austext and probably from commercial dial-up services. -- ============================================================================= Ash Nallawalla Tel: +61 3 823-1959 Fax: +61 3 820-1434 ZL4LM/VK3CIT Postal: P.O. Box 539, Werribee VIC 3030, Australia.
bcw@rti.rti.org (Bruce Wright) (03/22/90)
In article <7111@tekgvs.LABS.TEK.COM>, toma@tekgvs.LABS.TEK.COM (Tom Almy) writes: > [A lotto player] 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. > > Considering that lotto games pay roughly 50 cents on the dollar, and that > the numbers are picked at random (previous numbers do *not* affect the > results), you should post this to alt.stupidity. :-( It appears that you are confusing the expectation of picking a winning number in a Lotto game with the expected rate of return. They are not at all the same, and if you think they are then maybe _you_ should take a course in statistics (!). It's true that (at least most) Lotto games are set up to make all possible numbers have an equal probability of payoff. But this is not at all the same as all players having equal expected winnings! For example, if some numbers are picked by more people than others, than picking those numbers means you must share the winnings with the other winners (at least in many Lotto games). An analysis of the pattern of numbers picked by other players can allow a player to increase his expected winnings by picking rarely used numbers. Of course, Lotto games are also set up so that this strategy still doesn't allow you to have a positive expected return! I _don't_ play the Lotto games because I understand how low the probabilities are ... but some people who _do_ understand the probabilities still play it because it gives them a bit of excitement & I'm certainly not going to fault them for that (as long as it doesn't become an obsession). And as far as that goes, no I don't know about any Lotto software, though even if I did I wouldn't trust it (see above. The most profitable idea in trying to maximize Lotto winnings is probably going to be trying to second-guess the other Lotto players). Let's get back to PC's, OK? Bruce C. Wright Your local curmudgeon.