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Fun lottery facts that will brighten your day
While some play the lottery in the hopes of funding their retirement, most understand that the lottery is a form of entertainment.
When we go to play the mega millions lottery, we do so because it’s a fun thing to do. In that spirit, this post will uncover a few fun lottery facts that we hope will make your day better than it is right now. Enjoy!
1) Don’t play consecutive numbers
In the history of American lottery draws, four consecutive numbers have only been drawn three times, with the most recent occurrence coming on November 30th, 2011.
That wasn’t even the most remarkable consecutive number draw that happened that year though, as a lottery draw months before yielded five consecutive numbers: 14-15-16-17-18.
Despite these occurrences, consecutive numbers in lottery draws are exceedingly rare, so don’t play them!
2) There is a speed camera lottery in Sweden
Incentivizing motorists to drive safe can be a challenge at times, but it seems like traffic police in Sweden are on to something. In the city of Stockholm, the local authorities have launched an intriguing lottery.
Throughout the city, there are cameras that record the license plates of drivers – whether they are speeding or not. A portion of the fine revenue raised from drivers that are caught speeding has been set aside to create a jackpot.
This jackpot is awarded monthly by a randomly chosen driver that has been obeying the speed limit. This has actually resulted in an actual reduction in the number of speeding infractions. Europe wins again!
3) Joan R. Ginthe: the luckiest woman in history
Despite our lofty daydreaming, most people realize that the chances of winning the lottery are exceedingly small. It is a Herculean achievement to even win once. However, there is a person alive that has won not only once, but four times in her life.
That person is Joan R. Ginthe, PhD professor at Stanford University. Appropriately enough, her specialty is in math and statistics. While there is no doubt that she used her knowledge to improve her odds of winning, the chances of replicating what she did currently stands at a staggering eighteen septillion to one. Yup.
4) Garbage man to millionaire … to garbage man
When garbage man Michael Carroll of the United Kingdom won the national lottery, it is understandable to say that he was thrilled to win the 9 million pound first prize. He embraced his newfound wealth with a vigour that would make Imelda Marcos blush, spending tons of cash on new jewelry, homes, cars, and much more.
Unfortunately for him, he forgot to invest some along the way and ran out of money fairly quickly. The good news though: his former employer took him back, and today, he once again works as a garbage man.