which lottery would be easier to win picking 5 correct out of 52 or 6 correct out of 62?
Answer:
This is a combinations question using the “Choose” function, as we are not permitted to repeat numbers in a lottery (nor can repeated numbers occur in a lottery).
To have all 5 numbers in a 5 out of 52 lottery, this would be C(52,5) = 2598960.
To have all 6 numbers in a 6 out of 62 lottery, this would be C(62,6) = 61474519.
This means we have a 1 in 2598960 chance for the 5 in 52 lottery versus a 1 in 61474519 in the 6 in 62 lottery. Clearly the 5 in 52 lottery has a better chance.