Can the Lotto Be Won Twice With the Same Numbers?

Personally I would have thought that the chances of the exact same numbers winning a lottery would have been extremely slim.

As amazing as it may sound this actually happened in the Bulgarian lottery in consecutive weeks.  The numbers 4,15, 23, 24, 35 and 42 were drawn on the 6th and 10th September 2009.  These numbers were not drawn in the same order so it was obviously a random occurrence.

There was an investigation into the draw but authorities say there was nothing but coincidence involved!

Interestingly enough no one came forward the first time the numbers were drawn but the second time 18 people had these numbers.  I wonder if these winners personally selected the numbers or simply took a lucky dip like most of us do.

I’m thinking of playing the same numbers in the New Zealand lottery this week just for the fun of it.  If you never hear from me again (or if you hear me hollering from the rooftops) then chances are lightning has struck three times in a row.  And why not?  All numbers in each and every lotto draw have the same chance of winning.  So it may be third time lucky for me.

According to a respected mathematician (Bulgarian I presume) the chances of the same six numbers coming up in two consecutive draws is about 1 in 4 million.  Personally I would have thought they were even smaller than this but then I am not a maths genius - which I presume this fellow is. I did a search on Google for him but came up with a whole lot of stuff that was even more confusing than maths.

The moral of the story is if your numbers have won once they still have a slim chance of winning again, if not next week then maybe next month or next year.

Who would have “thunk” lotto can be won twice with the same numbers?

Maybe I should have kept the numbers of the losing lotto tickets that helped my launch my new career.

If you would like to read how a losing lotto ticket changed my life you can read my story here.

I’m not a big gambler and lotto should be fun so finding a way to live the lifestyle I wanted was, in many ways, better than winning lotto. I still play lotto though - just in case. Read my story here.