Released: August 27, 2007
Las Vegas, NV 89180
by Gail Howard
Need help picking the best Mega Millions numbers? With a jackpot of $250 million at stake, players are looking for smart ways to beat the Mega Millions' odds. Here are some facts you can take to the bank.
The $250 million Mega Millions jackpot, which started at $12 million on July 10, has rolled over 14 drawings without a jackpot winner.
After Mega Millions changed the number field on June 4, 2005, the five white balls are chosen from numbers 1 to 56; and the Mega Ball is chosen from numbers 1 to 46.
Since the five white balls and the Mega Ball are drawn from two different number fields, we must analyze them as two separate lotto games, each with its own historical data.
First let's track the action of the five white balls during the rollover period since July 10.
BEST AND WORST PERFORMING NUMBER GROUPS OF WHITE BALLS
When we divide the 56 Mega Millions white balls into eight groups of seven numbers, the highest number group, 50 to 56, accounted for 26 percent of the all the winning numbers drawn since July 10. The poorest performing number group, numbers 22 to 28, accounted for only 4 percent of the winning numbers. The second poorest performing group, numbers 43 to 49, accounted for 7 percent of the winning numbers drawn since July 10.
This tells us that the 50's are on a roll, but are too hot not to cool down soon. The 50 to 56 group could possibly continue this hot trend, but for one more drawing only. If Tuesday's winning numbers have a couple of numbers in the 50's, the jackpot could roll over again to Friday. Especially if two or three of the other numbers are single digits.
However, the Group Count Bias Tracker (in my Advantage Plus lotto software) indicates that on August 28, most of the winning numbers will be drawn from the underperforming groups 22 to 28 and 43 to 49 (with 48 being the best number, as it would be bouncing off a Double Bottom).
SUM CHART BIAS TRACKER
Now let's look at Mega Millions from a different perspective with the Sum Chart Bias Tracker.
When you add the Mega Millions 5-ball winning numbers together you get a sum.
The lowest possible sum is 15. (1+2+3+4+5 = 15)
The highest possible sum is 270 (52+53+54+55+56 = 270)
Although sums as low as 15 and as high as 270 are theoretically possible, the lowest sum of the five Mega Millions winning numbers drawn since this game began is 55. The highest sum ever was 238, which occurred just six drawings ago, on August 7 .
Consider this fact: Seventy (70) percent of the sums of all the winning Mega Millions 5-ball combinations fall within the sum range of 106 to 179.
Freaky number combinations with unbalanced games have been occurring during the past 14 drawings, so it is no wonder that the jackpot has not been won since July 10. Four drawings have had sums lower the midpoint sum of 142; but almost three times as many (eleven) have had sums higher than the midpoint sum. In normal times, I would expect the Sum Bias to swing back to a sum lower than the midpoint sum of 142, but these are not normal times. Mega Millions could squeak out one more drawing with a sum higher than 142 on Tuesday.
WHEN I SAY FREAKY, I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT I MEAN.
Numbers with the most hits since the 56-ball game began are: 07-25-36-53-46-05-14-24-48. This is a fairly typical spread of numbers. But look at what happened during the past 14 games:
Number 8 hit four times. Numbers with three hits each during the last 14 games were all these high numbers: 30-38-41-46-51-53-54-55-56!!! No wonder the jackpot has rolled over so many times. (Most people bet the lower numbers, playing birth dates, anniversaries and children's ages.)
These 16 numbers did not win once during the past 14 games: 01-03-11-14-15-22-25-26-27-28-31-40-44-45-47-49.
Numbers out the longest are: 15 is out 39 drawings; 28 out 30 drawings; 22 out 26 drawings;
44 out 25 drawings; 27 out 23 drawings; 26 out 20 drawings; 49 out 19 drawings
When you consider that number 27 skipped 66 drawings without a win, and number 13 skipped 61 drawings, numbers out thirty-some games are not DUE for a win, but one or more of them could hit.
LOTTO ASTRO SCOPE SHOWS WHICH NUMBERS WIN MOST OFTEN BY MONTH.
Rather than dividing the years by months (which have an uneven 28 to 31 days), I divided the year by astrological signs, which divide the days in the months more evenly. According to the Lotto Astro Scope in my Advantage Plus software, the white balls that hit most often now during Virgo are: 52-53-01-05-06-17-42-44-46-51.
TRACKING THE MEGA MILLIONS MEGA BALL!
The all important Mega Ball makes the difference between winning $250,000 or winning $250 million! ( And winning other prize categories, as well. )
Since the new number field changed on June 4, 2005, numbers 4 and 42 were the hottest Mega Ball numbers, with nine hits each. Next hottest were 35 and 36 with eight hits each. Mega Ball numbers with seven hits each were: 01-05-07-10-15-21-22-30-37-41.
Mega Ball numbers with the fewest hits, only two hits each, were: 13-18-25-26-27-28-32.
One can never say a Mega Ball is due for a win. Mega Ball number 25 skipped 167 drawings between wins; and a dozen other numbers skipped more than one hundred drawings between wins.
Also, one cannot even predict when a Mega Ball number will be Odd or Even. Drawings from May 18 to July 17 produced Odd Number Mega Ball wins for 18 consecutive drawings.
According to the Lotto Astro Scope in my Advantage Plus software, the Mega Millions Mega Ball numbers that hit most often during the month of Virgo are: 01-04-12-33.
Dare I say, that if I were to buy one Mega Millions ticket for the August 28 drawing, I would choose numbers 15-22-25-46-48 for the five white balls and 16 for the Mega Ball number.
Now if all the numbers I've mentioned are enough to confuse you so you can't decide which ones to play, then choose 22 of them, using the Free Interactive wheeling system on my web site at www.smartluck.com. Click on Free Stuff, then click on Free Wheels and scroll down to Balanced Wheel #3014 and click on the third button. Check 22 numbers from 1 to 56, then click on Generate Combinations. That's all there is to it. Now go win a quarter of a billion dollars with a Gail Howard system!
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Gail Howard is the author of the comprehensive lottery number selection book "Lottery Master Guide" and lotto wheeling books for pick-5, pick-6 and Powerball/Mega Millions as well as lotto software with scientific strategies and easy-to-use systems to help the lottery player bet smarter.
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© 2007 Gail Howard. Use and distribution of this article must include the author's information and copyright. Gail Howard (books@smartluck.com )
Smart Luck Publishers and Software
Las Vegas, NV
Phone : 800-945-4245
Gail Howard (books@smartluck.com)
Smart Luck Publishers Software
Las Vegas, NV
Phone : 800-945-4245
Courtesy FeaturesUSA.com