About
What this site is, and who runs it
Lottery Number Lab is an independent statistics project about the two national US lottery games, Mega Millions and Powerball. It publishes the probability mathematics behind both games, measures the complete drawing record of each, and keeps an archive of past winning numbers. A dashboard can sample combinations from that history; that tool is optional and does not sell tickets, take wagers, or promise a win.
Who runs this
Lottery Number Lab is the publishing brand for this independent lottery-statistics site. Content is researched and edited under that name. Editorial decisions — what to publish, which eras to analyse, how to word the disclaimers — are made by Lottery Number Lab, not by an advertiser or a lottery.
We usually reply within a few business days. We cannot help with claiming prizes, checking tickets, or anything requiring access to lottery systems — only your state lottery can do that.
Editorial approach
Drawing results and jackpot estimates come from official sources. We calculate the odds and historical statistics presented alongside them. The odds tables are computed from the official ball matrices using the standard combination formula, and they reproduce the prize charts published by both lotteries. The statistics — frequencies, dry spells, sum distributions, odd/even splits — are computed from 933 Mega Millions drawings and 1,417 Powerball drawings in the bundled snapshot. When we cannot verify something, we leave it out.
We also try to be unusually blunt about what statistics can and cannot do for a lottery player. Drawings are independent events; no analysis of past results improves anyone's odds. Our own generator is a way to explore the data and to produce lines that look like real winning combinations — nothing more. Anywhere that distinction could be misread, we state it again.
Where the data comes from
| Source | Used for |
|---|---|
| New York State Open Data — Mega Millions winning numbers | Primary Mega Millions history in the bundled snapshot (933 drawings from October 31, 2017 onward) |
| New York State Open Data — Powerball winning numbers | Powerball history in the bundled snapshot (1,417 drawings from October 7, 2015 onward) |
| megamillions.com | Game rules, prize structures, draw schedules, official odds statements, and next-drawing jackpot estimates; also the recent-drawings API used only when the Mega Millions open-data history is truncated |
| powerball.com | Game rules, prize structures, draw schedules, official odds statements, and next-drawing jackpot estimates |
The published pages use a verified snapshot of those official sources. Drawing history is rebuilt after drawings when the feed has new rows — at least once a day — and is never replaced by an empty or shorter download. If the Mega Millions open-data history is truncated, the validated snapshot is kept and may be extended from Mega Millions’ official recent-drawings API; Powerball continues from its New York open-data dataset. Jackpot estimates are fetched from the official Mega Millions and Powerball sites; a failed fetch keeps the previous verified estimate rather than clearing it. The “Fetch latest results” button on either generator page talks to the New York open-data portal in your browser; it does not change the published pages until the next rebuild. An open-data feed can lag or contain errors: never claim a prize based on numbers shown here. Verify with your state lottery or the official game website.
Independence
This site is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by or connected to the Mega Millions Consortium, the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), any state lottery, or any lottery courier or ticket reseller. Game names and logos belong to their respective owners and are used only to describe the games discussed.
How the site is funded
Pages may display third-party advertising, which is how the hosting and data costs are covered. Advertisers do not influence what we publish. We do not accept payment for coverage, and we do not run affiliate links to ticket sellers or “lottery system” products. This site does not sell tickets and does not guarantee winnings. See our privacy policy for what advertising means for your data.
Corrections and contact
If you find a figure you believe is wrong, please tell us — with a source if you have one. We check it against the official feed and the methodology before changing a page. The same address handles privacy requests, advertising questions and general feedback.