56-66-67-68-69 and Mega Ball was 18

Mega Millions players hoping for a multi-million dollar win may be scratching their heads after seeing the winning numbers.

On Tuesday, December 17, the Mega Millions numbers were 56-66-67-68-69 and the Mega Ball was 18. The Megaplier was 4x.

Those were really the winning numbers. Is it strange or random to see consecutive or consecutive numbers in a lottery? As they say in the lottery industry, “it could happen to you.”

Interestingly, that’s not the only oddity in this particular lottery streak, which began on, of all days, September 13, 2024, or Friday the 13th for $20 million. Since then, rollovers had pushed the Mega Millions jackpot to $760 million for Tuesday, December 17th.

There’s no doubt that Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing produced some unforgettable numbers. Here’s another example: On June 11, 2022, the Bank of Virginia Lottery’s million dollar drawing resulted in the numbers 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18. According to the Washington Post and a KFOX 14 report on July 6, 2022won Alonzo Coleman $250,000 for playing these tracks.

For Mega Millions, Powerball and Florida Lottery games, players often rely on a “quick pick” automated option when purchasing their tickets from a dealer, some play consistently routine “lucky” numbers and others leave it to chance. There is no wrong way to pick Mega Millions numbers. There is also no magic formula for picking the winning numbers.

Keep reading for more weird lottery numbers we’ve noticed over the past few years.

Are consecutive number sequences in draws common?

Over the years there have been draws that resulted in consecutive numbers or consecutive number sequences.

• For example, the Mega Millions drawing on April 25, 2023 resulted in consecutive numbers of 46, 47, and 48, according to a July 12, 2023 story in TCPalma newspaper in the USA TODAY Network. In case you’re wondering, the Mega Millions numbers for Tuesday, April 25, 2023: 8-29-46-47-48 and the Mega Ball was 12.

• On May 12, 2023, the Mega Millions winning numbers contained only the numbers 1 through 5, and it looked like the counting sequence 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. The numbers: 1-2-23-40-45 and the Mega Ball was 15, says TCPalm- the story.

Repeat numbers in the Mega Millions and Powerball lottery

Another oddity in the lottery world? Repeat numbers.

• On On October 31, 2022, the number 13 appeared twicein the winning numbers and as Powerball. According to a check on Powerball website and a robust Internet search, the Oct. 31, 2022 drawing was likely the first time the number 13 appeared twice in a Powerball drawing — on Halloween — for a $1 billion jackpot. Largely considered an unlucky number, eerie even, the fact that 13 was drawn twice in a major draw on October 31st is itself a fun fact.

• On Monday, July 24, 2023, the Powerball was 25 for the main game and 25 for the double game. A day later for the Mega Millions drawing, the Mega Ball for Tuesday, July 25 was 25. The Mega Ball from the previous drawing (Friday, July 21, 2023) was also 25. For some reason, 25 was a popular number in both lottery games.

Palindrome dates, notable dates and odd lottery number sequences

Oddly enough, a few days after the “number 13” Powerball drawing on October 31, 2022, something strange happened – again.

• The November 2, 2022 Powerball drawing had an interesting numerical occurrence: the date of the drawing was 11/2/22, the jackpot was $1.2 billion, and three of the winning numbers contained the date (11, 2, and 22).

• The $1.05 billion Mega Millions lottery jackpot was won on January 22, 2021, which is a palindromic number. When written in this style, 1/22/21, the date (and numbers) are the same when the digits are reversed.

• Of the 11 times a lottery jackpot has hit $1 billion or more, two of the winning tickets were purchased at a beach town Publix in Florida, and the prize was at least $1.58 billion, according to a Sept. 20, 2024, story in FLORIDA TODAY. One Powerball prize was worth $1.586 billion, and a Mega Millions jackpot topped out at $1.58 billion.

Has anyone won a big jackpot in the Friday the 13th lottery?

Yes! A single ticket was purchased in Maine for the January 13, 2023 Mega Millions drawing. The winner remains anonymous through a trust and accepted their $1.35 billion winnings through the limited liability company LaKoma Island Investments LLC, according to a Feb. 22, 2023, USA TODAY story.

According to the Mega Millions site, seven Mega Millions jackpots have been won on Friday the 13th (For a bit of irony, of course, the number 7 is considered a lucky number.)

“Michigan has been particularly lucky on that particular day with four winning jackpots (June 2008, May 2011, June 2014 and one shared with Rhode Island in October 2017),” a post at megamillions.com states. “The game’s third-largest prize to date ($1.348 billion) was won in Maine on Friday, January 13, 2023. Friday the 13th jackpots were also won in New York in March 2009 and in Ohio in November 2015.”

Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network-Florida. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Lottery: Sequential numbers like 13-14-15-16-17-18-19, palindrome dates