These are the 10 most drawn numbers in Powerball and Mega Millions history

They say that hard work can lead to riches. And they can be right in this way, although countless Americans work damn hard for little reward. We’ll leave that particular debate for another article. But the above line doesn’t add the life message that a simple stroke of lottery luck can also turn your life upside down with millions of dollars pouring into your bank balance.

In the United States we have the Powerball and Mega Millions lotteries which catch the eye around the world due to their staggering jackpot amounts that often soar past the billion-dollar mark. Both games see participants tasked with selecting six numbers – from 1-69 in Powerball plus an additional number between 1 and 26, known as the Powerball, and from 1-70 in Mega Millions with another one from 1 to 25, dubbed the Mega Ball.

With astronomical odds of winning the jackpot (1 in 292 million and 1 in 302 million, respectively) it’s no wonder that some players are on the lookout for a clever way in to the rewards, including those checking out the most frequently drawn numbers. So let’s investigate.

Fun fact | How high would a real stack of billion dollars reach?

Powerball’s most drawn numbers

Since 7 October 2015 (that was when the number matrix for the Powerball lottery was last changed) there have been, at the time of writing this, 1,035 drawings. In those, the top ten numbers drawn, in order although not together, were 61, 21, 63, 32, 27, 36, 39, 69, 23 and 62. The most drawn number was 61 with 98 times (9.5% of all the draws), while 62 was drawn 86 times. A full list of numbers drawn is available.

The top five Powerball numbers drawn are: 4, 18, 24, 14 and 21, ranging from 52 times (5%) to 46 times. The least drawn has been number 15, with 30 appearances.

If you’ve never watched the balls pop out, here’s an example.

Mega Millions most drawn numbers

The numbers matrix for Mega Millions was last changed on 31 October 2017 and since then we’ve seen 679 drawings. The top ten most frequently drawn numbers, again in order of most, have been: 10, 3, 17, 14, 46, 31, 8, 15, 38 and 64. These have ranged from 65 times (9.6%) to 58 times. Full list provided.

The top five Mega Ball numbers drawn are: 11, 22, 18, 24 and 13, ranging from 37 to 32 times. The least drawn has been number 8, with 18 appearances.

All the Mega Millions and Powerball prizes

There are nine winning number combinations for Mega Millions.

Powerball also has nine ways to win a prize: