Is 13 unlucky? See the shocking results here!

We know that our ancestors recognised this fact long ago from the evidence left behind in the precise designs of Stonehenge to catch the last sun of the solstice, our records of exact cosmic observations in ancient Babylonia as well as ancient texts such as the Hindu Vedas and the mystical Hebrew numeric system found in Kaballah.

Eight lotteries, thousands of numbers

Each year, thousands of numbers are drawn across the world in international lotteries that pay out billions of pounds to the players lucky enough to predict the correct pattern.

Now for the first time, Lottoland has conducted extensive research into the lottery results from draws across the globe to determine whether the winning numbers are truly random or if there are emerging patterns which show lucky lottery numbers that cut across international borders.

By collating tens of thousands of historical results from eight international lotteries (the UK National Lottery, Canadian lotto 6/49, Spanish El Gordo Lotto, the OZ Lotto, the Irish lotto, German 6aus49, Mega Sena from Brazil and Euromillions) the data shows that the lottery ball which is most often chosen as part of the winning combination is 23 and, eerily for the superstitious, the number which is least often drawn is the number 13! Of course, that doesn't mean that you should avoid the number 13 at all costs. For example, 13 happens to be the number most commonly drawn in the Polish Lotto!

The luckiest lottery numbers: 23, 27, 32, 33, 38 & 40

One of these numbers has long been regarded as particularly interesting. The number 23 is often believed to have connections to a number of incidents and events, which has led to its being described as the 23 Enigma. For example, men and women both have 23 chromosomes, 22 of which are the same with the 23rd being the X or Y sex chromosome.

Julius Caesar was stabbed to death by political rivals, and was reported to have been stabbed 23 times. The first morse code transmission sent was 'What has God wrought?', a line from the Bible Numbers 23:23. There are plenty of other examples linking the number 23 to various different events throughout history. According to our study this number is also linked to a number of lottery draws as well!

The unluckiest lottery number: 13

Even more curious was the fact that by far, the unluckiest lottery number across the assembled results which we examined was the number 13, long considered in many cultures to be associated with evil and misfortune.

The basis for 13 being an unlucky number is intimately tied into the revolutions of the earth itself. Our ancestors lacked precise astrological tools which we have today to map the passage of time and so erroneously believed that there were thirteen months in a year, rather than twelve. Thirteen is also the number of full moons which occur in a year which became associated with lunar worship, witchcraft and Satanism across much of Europe. Rumours have persisted of a hidden 13th zodiac sign which will signify the end of the world.

Under the Zoroastrian Calendar 13 is also considered an unlucky number and there are 13 days of the New Year. On the 13th day, called Noruz, many Iranian families will spend the day outdoors so as not to bring misfortune into their home.

Under the Mayan calendar, the 13th Baktun or cycle was feared by many to herald the apocalypse or end of the world. The 13th Baktun came and went on December 21, 2012 however, leading supporters to insist that the calendar has now “reset” and the earth is safe from Armageddon for at least another 5200 years.

Strange but True

A number of unlucky events throughout history have also strengthened people’s apprehension of the number 13. Amongst many strange misfortunate events:

• There was said to be 13 apostles at the Last Supper, with the 13th, Judas Iscariot, betraying Jesus
   
• On Friday the 13th of October 1307 the Order of the Knights Templar were arrested, tortured and executed by the King of France
   
• On August 13th, in November 13, 1970 record breaking monsoons in Asia caused the deaths of over a million people in India and Bangladesh
   
• On Friday the 13th, October 1972 Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crashed in the Andes Mountains, forming the basis for the 1993 film Alive
   
• Apollo 13 was the only unsuccessful mission to the moon. The ill-fated voyage into space was marred by a series of disastrous events after an oxygen tank exploded although all astronauts managed to escape alive.

  Other unlucky numbers were: 28, 5, 21, 36 and 8.

   

  Is the number 13 really bad luck?

  Modern lottery balls are created using the latest technology to give each one the same chance of being drawn, going even so far as using lasers to inscribe numbers so the weight of paint does not skew the results. Nonetheless, the data clearly shows over thousands of lottery draws in multiple countries that the number 13 has historically shown up far less than would be expected. Of course, this could simply be down to random chance, and to believe in 'lucky lottery numbers' is certainly not a recipe for success! But, if you are superstitious you might want to avoid the number 13; perhaps there is more to this ancient belief than we know!

  Last update: February 2018