Lotto Player’s Lucky Dip Selection Creates Amazing Coincidence
Last Updated: Friday 15th April 2016, 09:03
A grandmother from Kent has left National Lottery officials and mathematicians stunned after defying astronomical odds of more than 45 million to one to do something that has never been reported on the game before, but the remarkable coincidence was not quite enough to land her a Lotto prize.
Doreen Wallace, 83, purchased two Lucky Dip tickets from the Rafferty Village Store in Eynsford a few minutes apart and was astonished to discover that the same numbers had been printed on both slips. Doreen believes her luck could be ‘right around the corner’ despite missing out on a prize, although she plans to change the way she plays Lotto from now on.
“When I do it again I won’t be asking for Lucky Dip numbers - I will be doing my own lucky numbers,” said Doreen, quoted by the Daily Mail. “You never know what is around the corner. You never know what is going to happen until it drops.”
National Lottery officials have admitted that they have never heard of another example like Doreen’s, while Dr John Haigh from the University of Sussex explained just how unlikely it was for anyone else to have the same thing happen to them. He said: “There are 45,057,474 ways of choosing six different numbers from 59. So if I buy a Lucky Dip ticket today, and then buy another one tomorrow, the chance they are the same is 1 in 45,057,474.”
There are various different ways in which Lotto players can choose their numbers. While some prefer to purchase a Lucky Dip, others like to use numbers which have personal significance to them, perhaps based on important dates or addresses. Other players stick to patterns like multiples of a certain number, which was probably the most reasonable explanation as to why 4,082 ticket holders matched five main numbers in the draw on Wednesday 23rd March.
No combination of numbers is more likely to be drawn than any other, but to increase your chances of landing a larger prize it is worthwhile selecting a line which other players are less likely to have as well, otherwise any big win will be divided between more players. You could use the Lotto Number Generator to create a random line in an instant - just don’t keep clicking to see how long it takes for a duplicate line to be generated as you are unlikely to match Doreen’s incredible coincidence!
Whichever way you to choose to select your numbers, you will have to pick up a ticket to be in with a chance of winning Saturday’s fantastic £10.5 million jackpot. Doreen has vowed to pick her own numbers from now on, but you could go for a Lucky Dip, stick to your favourite line or enter a syndicate. Entries can be made online or by visiting any authorised retailer, perhaps even the Rafferty Village Store in Kent if you think it is a lucky venue. Good luck!
