Our study reveals the lottery numbers you should play to win big
- Number 28 is drawn most often across all lotteries, with an average frequency of 201.4
- The numbers 16 and 39 are second and third, with average frequencies of 200.6 and 199, respectively
- The unluckiest lottery number is 47, with a frequency of just 138

The new research from our team at JustGamblers has discovered the lottery numbers that are most likely to win a jackpot, with the number 28 crowned as the luckiest.
Our online gambling experts analyzed the numbers that have appeared in all previous draws across Powerball, Mega Millions, The Big Game, Hot Lotto and Lucky for Life. We determined each number’s average frequency across all five lotteries to determine which ones are the luckiest and unluckiest.
Given the enormous jackpots on offer, it's understandable why so many people try their luck in the lottery. The selection of lottery numbers relies on a randomized algorithm, which is used to select numbers in an unpredictable way.
Magnus Boberg, co-founder of JustGamblers.
Luckiest Lottery Numbers
Out of the 47 numbers that appear in all five lotteries, these are the luckiest:
Rank | Number | Average Frequency |
---|---|---|
1 | 28 | 201.4 |
2 | 16 | 200.6 |
3 | 39 | 199 |
4 | 32 | 198.8 |
5 | 15 | 198 |
The Luckiest Number: 28
The number most likely to appear in a lottery draw is 28, with an average frequency of 201.4 across all five lotteries. It is the number one most common number in Lucky for Life, being called 244 times in that lottery alone. It is the sixth most frequent number in Mega Millions, being called 327 times.
Second Luckiest Number: 16
Second is the number 16, with an overall frequency of 200.6. It has been called 228 times in Hot Lotto, making it the most common number in that lottery. It is the fourth most common number in Powerball, being called 327 times.
Third Luckiest Number: 39
In third place is the number 39, which has an average frequency of 199. It is the most common number to be called in Powerball, appearing a total of 334 times. It ranks seventh in Hot Lotto, being drawn 211 times.
Fourth Luckiest Number: 32
Next on the list is the number 32, with an average frequency of 198.8. It is the second most common number in Powerball and the third most common in Hot Lotto, with frequencies of 332 and 222, respectively.
Fifth Luckiest Number: 15
The fifth luckiest lottery number is 15, with an average frequency of 198. It has been called 228 times in Lucky for Life, making it the 3rd most common in that lottery. It also ranks sixth in Hot Lotto, appearing 211 times.
With that said, it is fascinating to see such a clear pattern in the top five unluckiest numbers, with all of them being in the 40s. This could be due to a large proportion of players using meaningful dates as their numbers, which means that if the numbers drawn are over 31, there are likely to be less winners, therefore branding the higher numbers as unlucky.
- Magnus Boberg, co-founder of JustGamblers.
Unluckiest Lottery Numbers
On the other hand, here are the unluckiest numbers in American lottery:
Rank | Number | Average Frequency |
---|---|---|
1 | 47 | 138 |
2 | 46 | 139.4 |
3 | 43 | 148.4 |
4 | 41 | 153.2 |
5 | 44 | 153.6 |
Taking the top spot as the unluckiest lottery number in America is 47, with an average frequency of just 138. It ranks 52nd in Mega Millions, appearing 161 times. In Powerball, it ranks 48th, being called 242 times.
The number 46 is a close second, with an average frequency of 139.4. It is the second to last most common number in Hot Lotto, being called just 39 times. It ranks 49th in Powerball, appearing in a winning draw 220 times.
Third is the number 43, with a frequency of just 148.4 across the five lotteries. It is the least common number in Hot Lotto, being drawn 38 times. It also ranks 49th in Mega Millions, appearing 169 times.
In fourth place is 41, with an average frequency of 153.2. It ranks 47th in Lucky for Life and 44th in The Big Game, with individual frequencies of 167 and 45, respectively.
The fifth unluckiest number is 44, with an average frequency of 153.6. It has been called 174 times in Lucky for Life, ranking 46th in that lottery. In Hot Lotto, it ranks 43rd, appearing only 52 times.
While there are many lottery tactics out there to try, this list of luckiest numbers might just win you millions.
- Magnus Boberg, co-founder of JustGamblers.
Methodology
We analyzed the data from https://www.lottodatabase.com/lotto-database/american-lotteries to determine the ranking.
Number | Hot Lotto Frequency | Powerball frequency | Lucky for Life frequency | The Big Game frequency | Mega Millions frequency | Average Frequency |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
28 | 197 | 327 | 244 | 50 | 189 | 201.4 |
16 | 228 | 327 | 213 | 46 | 189 | 200.6 |
39 | 211 | 334 | 201 | 52 | 197 | 199 |
32 | 222 | 332 | 200 | 52 | 188 | 198.8 |
15 | 211 | 318 | 228 | 49 | 184 | 198 |
10 | 183 | 319 | 218 | 46 | 215 | 196.2 |
1 | 210 | 302 | 237 | 63 | 166 | 195.6 |
12 | 217 | 315 | 214 | 50 | 182 | 195.6 |
35 | 202 | 330 | 212 | 51 | 182 | 195.4 |
17 | 186 | 315 | 206 | 57 | 210 | 194.8 |
38 | 200 | 304 | 218 | 57 | 195 | 194.8 |
31 | 183 | 303 | 219 | 50 | 217 | 194.4 |
2 | 187 | 313 | 218 | 51 | 202 | 194.2 |
24 | 199 | 308 | 214 | 53 | 194 | 193.6 |
6 | 207 | 307 | 218 | 55 | 180 | 193.4 |
22 | 187 | 324 | 210 | 60 | 184 | 193 |
37 | 227 | 296 | 210 | 57 | 170 | 192 |
5 | 200 | 297 | 216 | 67 | 177 | 191.4 |
8 | 192 | 311 | 214 | 51 | 186 | 190.8 |
11 | 192 | 313 | 202 | 58 | 189 | 190.8 |
3 | 190 | 306 | 213 | 49 | 195 | 190.6 |
26 | 203 | 327 | 190 | 56 | 176 | 190.4 |
4 | 192 | 289 | 216 | 66 | 188 | 190.2 |
14 | 204 | 306 | 185 | 43 | 210 | 189.6 |
20 | 180 | 320 | 189 | 46 | 213 | 189.6 |
19 | 204 | 322 | 208 | 35 | 174 | 188.6 |
35 | 196 | 315 | 188 | 64 | 178 | 188.2 |
30 | 198 | 299 | 211 | 48 | 180 | 187.2 |
21 | 205 | 308 | 191 | 55 | 176 | 187 |
27 | 170 | 319 | 210 | 54 | 182 | 187 |
23 | 189 | 324 | 206 | 54 | 158 | 186.2 |
7 | 175 | 299 | 220 | 49 | 186 | 185.8 |
9 | 196 | 311 | 193 | 46 | 182 | 185.6 |
18 | 216 | 292 | 182 | 42 | 193 | 185 |
13 | 190 | 296 | 198 | 54 | 179 | 183.4 |
25 | 191 | 285 | 197 | 50 | 194 | 183.4 |
29 | 177 | 275 | 206 | 57 | 201 | 183.2 |
33 | 208 | 295 | 194 | 47 | 171 | 183 |
34 | 207 | 293 | 207 | 41 | 167 | 183 |
42 | 57 | 321 | 177 | 59 | 186 | 160 |
40 | 46 | 315 | 201 | 56 | 179 | 159.4 |
45 | 60 | 320 | 167 | 45 | 181 | 154.6 |
44 | 52 | 301 | 174 | 51 | 190 | 153.6 |
41 | 54 | 324 | 167 | 45 | 176 | 153.2 |
43 | 38 | 298 | 185 | 52 | 169 | 148.4 |
46 | 39 | 220 | 177 | 54 | 207 | 139.4 |
47 | 42 | 242 | 179 | 66 | 161 | 138 |
48 | 0 | 244 | 187 | 51 | 197 | 135.8 |
49 | 0 | 243 | 0 | 39 | 172 | 90.8 |
50 | 0 | 197 | 0 | 51 | 182 | 86 |
52 | 0 | 194 | 0 | 0 | 187 | 76.2 |
51 | 0 | 180 | 0 | 0 | 199 | 75.8 |
53 | 0 | 186 | 0 | 0 | 170 | 71.2 |
54 | 0 | 171 | 0 | 0 | 140 | 62.2 |
55 | 0 | 160 | 0 | 0 | 124 | 56.8 |
56 | 0 | 129 | 0 | 0 | 146 | 55 |
59 | 0 | 145 | 0 | 0 | 76 | 44.2 |
58 | 0 | 127 | 0 | 0 | 84 | 42.2 |
57 | 0 | 122 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 39.4 |
61 | 0 | 96 | 0 | 0 | 72 | 33.6 |
64 | 0 | 84 | 0 | 0 | 80 | 32.8 |
62 | 0 | 84 | 0 | 0 | 76 | 32 |
63 | 0 | 92 | 0 | 0 | 66 | 31.6 |
68 | 0 | 78 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 30.6 |
66 | 0 | 74 | 0 | 0 | 78 | 30.4 |
69 | 0 | 84 | 0 | 0 | 68 | 30.4 |
67 | 0 | 77 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 26.8 |
60 | 0 | 64 | 0 | 0 | 62 | 25.2 |
65 | 0 | 67 | 0 | 0 | 58 | 25 |
70 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 70 | 14 |
73 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 6.2 |
74 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 6 |
75 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 5 |
71 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 4.4 |
72 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 4 |
We Want to Hear from You!
We'd love to hear your thoughts on these findings. Do you have any lucky numbers or winning strategies? Share your insights in the comments below!