To find the winning lotto numbers for the lottery of
your choosing, you need to get a good random number generator. We’ve narrowed
things down to ten favorites, ranging from standard RNGs to officially approved
generators.
We have three
criteria when rating these generators:
·
Randomness. Yes, this is an
actual criterion. According to this article from Computing
and Software for Big Science, many different algorithms can be used for
random number generators. Other random number generators are physical, like the
Powerball machine itself. However, all of the RNGs we are listing use
algorithms rather than physical devices.
·
Specificity, or “how well does
this generator fit the lottery?”
· Fun! We realize that there are reasons for your lucky numbers. If you want, say, 7 in your lotto ticket, there’s nothing wrong with that.
10. UltimateSolver.com
This is simple:
press a button and get six numbers. If your lotto of choice doesn’t have
gimmicks, these six numbers will serve you well.
9. Random.org
Random.org
also has a page dedicated to lotteries. You can pick your favorite lottery from
a drop-down list and generate numbers for it. The only reason this generator is
low on the list is that it’s basic.
8. CalculatorSoup
CalculatorSoup.com
takes what Random.org started and pushes things a tiny bit further for lottery
players. It has limited lottery options, but also more customization features.
If you have lucky numbers, this is a great place to try them out! However, it’s
both minimalist and limited in lotto variety, so we can’t place it any higher
than this.
7. FunGenerators.com
This site is purely
for fun. We tested the Powerball function to make sure none of the numbers went
over their limits, especially for the Powerball itself! This is good if the
lotto you want doesn’t have an official generator. It’s also fun to see exactly
how many lotteries are out there!
6. The Random Number Generator
This app does all
things random numbers. It requires a little bit of programming, but you can
tailor it to any lotto you like! You can also use full-screen mode to show
random numbers if you want to make smaller lotteries of your own. The main
drawback is that it doesn’t save any of those numbers.
5. True Random Generator.
Another versatile
app for iOS. This one, too, has customizable lottery options. You can also
literally shake things up; the numbers reset by shaking your phone! It also
does passwords, dice rolls, and, impressively, QR/barcodes for given pieces of
text. Great if you want to share your business fast!
4. Lottery Generator and Statistics
Giving iOS a break, Lottery Generator and Statistics is an app for
hardcore lottery fans on Android. The app contains 250 different lotteries. If
just generating random numbers wasn’t enough for you, this app offers news,
history, and statistics of various lotteries as well!
3. LotteryNumberGenerator.net
This is a fun one.
As usual, you can pick your numbers and get a selection tailored to your
lottery, but that’s not the best part. By clicking a drop-down menu, you can
also select your zodiac sign, lucky color, and numbers that you do or don’t
want to appear. It has a great variety of lotteries, but we wish it had more!
(This one also has an app version.)
2. The Irish Lottery Number
Generator
We have to list the official generators
highly for a few reasons. The biggest is “your safety.” Although every app and
site we have listed has gone through some form of testing, the official sites
won’t give you any bugs. They are also directly compared to a “true RNG” in the
form of the actual
The official Irish Lottery Number Generator
is not only accurate for the lottery, but has a bunch of other randomization
options. We never thought you could make random number sets inspired by
recurring dreams, but you can! The only drawback is that it doesn’t handle the
Lotto Plus numbers. Had it covered that base better, it would easily be number
one.
1. Megamillions Official Random
Number Generator
The American Megamillions lottery has an
official RNG. Similar to Powerball, this lottery has 5 regular balls (1-70) and
one bonus ball with a smaller range (1-25). Powerball does not have an official
RNG.
Megamillions.com would like to
stress that “no system of choosing randomly generated picks is better than any other
system.” However, when it comes to lotteries, you want to bear in mind any
specific rules. That is why the Megamillions lottery generator is listed here:
it factors in the rules for that particular lottery, and you really can’t get
any better than official. The only thing it falls short on is customization.
Conclusion
Although random number generators are
supposed to be created equal, that is not the case. Different RNGs are good for
different purposes. If all of this has gotten you curious about math and
programming, why not let this
article
featuring quotes from famous figures in STEM inspire you further? For now, good
luck, have fun!