SA PowerBall last-digit statistics: how are the final digits distributed?
Last digit = the final digit of a number (7, 17, 27 … have the last digit 7). A popular strategy says the winning numbers should have as many different last digits as possible. Here are the figures.
Frequency of each last digit
| Last digit | Observed | Expected | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 442 | 434.0 | |
| 1 | 408 | 434.0 | |
| 2 | 426 | 434.0 | |
| 3 | 454 | 434.0 | |
| 4 | 422 | 434.0 | |
| 5 | 443 | 434.0 | |
| 6 | 417 | 434.0 | |
| 7 | 402 | 434.0 | |
| 8 | 453 | 434.0 | |
| 9 | 473 | 434.0 |
How many different last digits does a draw have?
| Observed | Share | Expected | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 different | 298 | 34.3 % | 37.2 % |
| 4 different | 441 | 50.8 % | 49.5 % |
| 3 different | 119 | 13.7 % | 12.8 % |
| 2 different | 10 | 1.2 % | 0.5 % |
| 1 different | 0 | 0.0 % | 0.0 % |
Line with different last digits
Expected values are exact or simulated, assuming purely random draws. The draws follow chance exactly, and a last-digit rule does not change your chance of winning.