The REAL truth about South Africa’s ‘unlucky’ Lotto numbers
· The South African
Every lottery player has heard whispers about ‘unlucky’ numbers. Certain digits are said to be cursed, certain sequences carry bad luck.
Some players avoid specific numbers no matter what. It’s a belief that has followed lotteries for decades, South Africa included.
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Why unlucky Lotto numbers like 13 aren’t actually unlucky
The number 13 carries the worst reputation of all. Buildings skip the floor, hotels skip the room, and plenty of lottery players skip it on their ticket too.
Yet the actual data tells a stranger story than most people expect.
According to research on lottery number patterns, 13 doesn’t behave the way most players assume.
In South Africa’s own Lotto history, it sits comfortably in the more common half of drawn balls, nowhere near the rarest.
As The South African’s own reporting on Lotto number myths explains, the machines have no memory of past draws.
The number everyone secretly believes is lucky
Number 7 tells the opposite story.
It carries no mathematical advantage in a random draw, yet players choose it more than any other.
Research into number preferences confirms it’s consistently the most popular pick worldwide, South Africa’s players included.
That popularity has a cost.
If 7 and other calendar numbers are drawn, more tickets match, and the jackpot prize gets divided between more than just you – potentially.
South Africa’s own record Lotto jackpot in January 2018 included the number 7, split four ways at R27.5 million.
Should unlucky Lotto numbers actually change how you play?
Not really.
Every number combination carries exactly the same odds, whether it’s 13 or 7.
The only real risk is choosing numbers so popular that a win gets split many ways.
Superstition makes for good conversation, not necessarily better odds.
I think the real story behind unlucky numbers says more about psychology than the machines. We look for patterns everywhere, even where none exist. The numbers don’t care what we believe about them, no matter how good the story sounds.
Do you have a lucky or unlucky number you always play or avoid?
Tell us in the comments …
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