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Understanding Odds in Lottery Games

Washington’s Lottery players enjoy six different games which depend on the luck of the draw to determine the winning numbers. Players select a set of numbers, or let the computer select for them, and Washington’s Lottery randomly draws the winning numbers.  If the player’s numbers match the numbers drawn, the player wins!

For a simple tabulation of the odds of winning, see the prize tables for each game on the Lottery Web site. To learn how these odds are calculated, click here to read this document. This is a quick explanation of how the probability of winning games of this kind can be understood.  It is meant to be intuitive and fun since it is based on actual Lottery games. For a more formal explanation, see a math textbook that has a section on probability, or search online sources using the search words “permutation”, “combinatorial”, or related terms.