Here’s what happened: I presented my play slip for 7 evening draws, straight configuration, same numbers chosen twice to the lottery clerk. She slipped it into the computer and the slip was rejected with NO SALE as the reason. Here in Georgia, our Cash 3 drawing is at 7pm, and this was at 8 pm, so I was well beyond the cutoff. Thinking it was the machine malfunctioning, I went down the road to a filling station and the same thing happened again. The clerk was able to get the machine to take a single play however.
Okay, now here’s the question: What if a lot of people decided to play my three numbers? So many in fact, that the computer had a built-in “reject” factor because if all of us won, it might put a serious dent in the lottery
treasury? Is such a thing possible? In case some of y’all are wondering I always play the same 3 numbers. They are the first three numbers of my SSN. Also, this is the first time this had ever happened to either clerk and they had no clue. People who played after I tried had no problems.
GA Lotto always takes a big hit when 777 comes up. By far the most popular 3 digit combo. They pay up just like normal. How can they withstand this?
Law of Averages.
The people playing 777 all the time lose when it doesn’t come up.
Now the Law of Averages works over the long term. Over the spring of 2000 GA Lotto was not getting nearly as much income as expected due to several such hits coming up close together in some games. But they eventually make it up.
Since I understand this stuff, I don’t play. If you don’t understand it, you shouldn’t play either. That’s pretty much everybody.
Why you had problems that night is some other problem.
I know this isn’t the question you asked, Quasimodem, but in the interest of fighting ignorance, I do feel the need to point it out to you. Don’t play pick 3 games. Ever. They’re a losing proposition. Unless you’re winning $1,000 or more every time you cannot hope to have a positive expectation on this gamble.
My guess is the prize is $500. That’s an obscenly low amount to win based upon the odds and the house (AKA the government) has an advantage here of 25%.
To compare: playing blackjack with a moderate amount of skill (but not expertly and no counting), you can expect a house advantage of around 1-2%.
Playing roulette, just putting down bets on black or red, you have a house advantage of 5.26% (for American style wheels). You can expect to lose $110 for every $1,000 bet.
No self respecting gambler plays roulette either.
But here you’re losing $500 for every $1,000 bet. To prove it, watch what happens when you buy every single combination. There are 1,000 different number choices and at $1 a ticket, that’s $1000. When you buy it, you’re guaranteed of winning $500, but once and only once.
So you just spent $1,000 to assure yourself of winning $500. Why throw away money like that?
In case you’re wondering, the same thing will happen when you pick just one number week after week after week. The odds do not change.
Again, I know this doesn’t answer your question, but I hope it helps.
…before this thread deteriorates into something better suited for the “Pit”, let me just add that I do not play the lottery for an income. I play because I enjoy it. Some folks play the ponies, some play blackjack, some bet on football. I play the lottery. The OP was a question of how the lottery operates, not an invitation to comment on my shortcomings as a mathematician or my moral standards. I appreciate the info on the odds of winning, but as I said, it is not an income for me, so I will take the risk.