Copyright: Lotto Simulator Copyright® 1993 Don Fordham


Contents
Lotto Simulator

Contents

Program Registration

General Information

Quick Start

The Menus

The File Menu

The Simulation Menu

The Options Menu

The Analysis Menu

Operation

Status Window

Picking Numbers

Using Real Data

Simulating Drawings

Analyzing Data


The File Menu

The File Menu contains selections which control loading and saving historical lottery data, printing the active window and exiting the program:

New - This selection enables you to create a new file to maintain historical lottery information.  The Lottery Spreadsheet will be displayed and you will be permitted to enter new data.  Once you have entered some data, you may select the SAVE AS option and specify a file name for the new historical lottery data or wait until you exit the spreadsheet at which time you will be prompted for a file name.

Open - This selection enables you to open an existing historical lottery file.  You will be shown all available history files and will be prompted for your selection.  After selection, that file will be loaded into the Lottery Spreadsheet and you will be able to add new data or analyze the data.  The program is supplied with the complete history of the Texas Lotto up to the release date of this program.

Save - This selection saves the current contents of the Lottery Spreadsheet under its current file name.  It is useful for interim saves if you are entering a good deal of data.  When you exit the Lottery Spreadsheet you will be prompted to save your work if it has changed since your last interim save.

Save As - This selection enables you to assign a different name to an existing historical lottery file (providing it is currently open), or assign a name to a new historical lottery file you just created.  Once this option is invoked, the file name is changed to the new name for any subsequent save operations.

Printer Setup - This selection opens a standard Windows type printer configuration menu.  Several of the program's functions allow printing of results so make sure your printer is configured correctly.

Exit - This selection will gracefully terminate the program and return to the program manager.


The Simulation Menu

The Simulation Menu contains two selections which control the action of simulated lottery drawings created by the program:

Normal Drawing - This selection causes the program to simulate The number of lottery drawings selected under the Options Menu (Number Of Drawings).  The number of drawings to be simulated is displayed in the Status Window at the bottom of the Main Window prior to the simulated drawings.  The default is 104 at program start (one full year of simulated Texas Lotto drawings).  As the simulated drawings are made the Status Window will show the number of drawings completed as well as an animated display of how many matches you had for each drawing (The LottoMeter).

Once the drawings are complete, the drawings can be analyzed for overall number frequency as well as the hottest and coldest numbers.  The performance of your numbers in these simulated drawings can also be viewed.  You can also change your numbers and see how the new numbers would have done in the last simulated drawing.  All of these analysis operations are selected through the Analysis Menu.

Draw Till I Win - This selection causes the program to continuously simulate lottery drawings until your numbers win.  You are first prompted for the number of matches you want to make.  A running total of completed drawings is displayed in the Status Window and a special window will pop up when you finally win to show the total number of drawings required.  CAUTION!! If you select 5 or 6 matches, be prepared to wait a long time!  Remember, the odds against matching 6 numbers are almost 16,000,000 to 1.  Once this operation begins, only Ctrl-C will stop it.

This simulation is interesting as a means of demonstrating theoretical odds in lottery drawings.  It will clearly demonstrate why lotteries are profitable.


The Options Menu

The Options Menu contains three selections related to picking lottery numbers and controlling the number of simulated drawings.

Pick Numbers - This selection allows you to pick your own lottery numbers.  A screen is presented with blank ping pong balls into which you type your lottery selections.  You move from ball to ball by hitting 'Enter' or using the mouse to position the large cursor.  Once satisfied with your selections, hit the 'OK' button.  The numbers are then error checked and, if legal, will be shown in the Status Window at the bottom of the screen.  You can then check the performance of your numbers against real lottery data or simulated lottery drawings.  You can also save these numbers as defaults which will come up automatically each time the program is run  (see "Save as Defaults" below).

Quick Pik - This selection allows the computer to select your lottery numbers for you.  Once again, you are presented with blank ping pong balls but this time the numbers will be filled in automatically and randomly by the computer.  Once you hit the OK button the computer picked numbers will be shown in the Status Window and can be evaluated.

Restore Default Numbers -  This option gives you a way of quickly restoring your favorite numbers into the Status Window where they can be evaluated.  You may freely evaluate any number of other numbers against historical or simulated data and then, through this selection, restore those baseline numbers referred to as defaults.  The program is supplied with some meaningless default numbers but you can change them at any time with the next menu choice.

Save as Default Numbers -  This option will automatically take the numbers in the Status Window and make them your defaults.  If you have been experimenting with sets of numbers and have finally settled on the "hottest", making them the defaults will cause them to be put into the Status Window at program start up or when "Restore Default Numbers" (see above) is chosen.

Number Of Drawings - This controls the number of simulated drawings the computer will perform under the Normal Drawing option in the Simulation Menu.  Once you enter the number of drawings it will be displayed in the Status Window.  At program start, the number of drawings defaults to 104 (a year of drawings in the Texas Lotto).  Once you make an entry, that becomes the new default until you change it or exit the program.


The Analysis Menu

The Analysis Menu contains five selections related to statistics gathered from simulated drawings or real lottery data contained in the Lottery Spreadsheet.  Where the statistics come from is determined by the last operation performed.  If a simulated lottery was run after data were entered in the Lottery Spreadsheet, then the analysis will be based on the simulated lottery.  Conversely if data were loaded into the Lottery Spreadsheet after a simulated drawing, then the analysis will be based on the historical lottery data.

Show My Results - This selection will analyze how well your selected numbers performed either during simulated drawings or compared to real lottery data in the Lottery Spreadsheet.

Number Frequency - This selection will chart the frequency with which all legal numbers were selected either in simulated drawings or in real lottery data contained in the Lottery Spreadsheet.

Hot Numbers - This selection will show the six numbers most frequently drawn either in simulated drawings or real lottery data contained in the Lottery Spreadsheet.

Overdue Numbers - This selection will show the six numbers least frequently drawn either in simulated drawings or real lottery data contained in the Lottery Spreadsheet.

Odds - This selection will produce a window showing the odds against winning at all levels.  This window shows why lotteries are profitable.


General Information

Lotto simulator performs these functions:

1. Stores an unlimited number of real lottery data files.

2. Allows selection of lottery numbers either automatically or manually.

3. Allows simulation of up to 8,000 individual lottery drawings.

4. Performs graphical analysis of real or simulated lottery data to determine:

Number Frequency

Hot Numbers

Overdue Numbers

How your numbers performed

5. Allows a "Draw Till I Win" simulation testing theoretical odds in lottery drawings.

Lotto Simulator defaults to a Pick 6 out of 50 type lottery, such as the Texas Lotto.  It can also be configured to simulate a Pick 6 out of 49 type lottery by changing an entry in the lottosim.ini file stored in the same directory as lottosim.exe.


Lottosim.ini

The lottosim.ini file contains the following entries:

[LotteryType]

HighestLegalNumber = 50

[Numbers]

Numbers = 1,2,3,4,5,6

Lottosim.ini is installed in the same directory as lottosim.exe, the Lotto Simulator program file (default installation c:\lottosim).  The HighestLegalNumber entry is used to determine whether we simulate and analyze Pick 6 out of 50 or Pick 6 out of 49 type lotteries.  These are the only legal alternatives.  The default as installed is a Pick 6 out of 50 lottery represented by HighestLegalNumber = 50.  If you want to simulate Pick 6 out of 49, simply use any text editor to change the entry to HighestLegalNumber = 49.  This will become the default unless it is changed again.  Attempting to use any number other than 49 or 50 will result in the program defaulting to 50.  Make sure that lottosim.ini is saved in its original text (ASCII) format in the same directory it came from.

There is no need to modify the Numbers entry.  This can be done for you automatically by the program.  A menu selection in the OPTIONS MENU allows you to modify these default numbers.


Status Window

The Status Window (always present at the bottom of the screen) displays three important pieces of information:

1.  The "Drawings" display shows the number of simulated drawings selected (default 104) in an idle state.  If simulated drawings are in progress, this display will count up from 1 to the number of simulated drawings you have selected.

2.  The "Your Numbers" display shows the numbers which will be evaluated against either simulated drawings or actual lottery history.  "Your Numbers" will default to 1-6 until you select your own defaults.

3.  The "Lottometer" is active during simulated drawings.  It shows, in real time, how many matches your numbers have in each simulated drawing.  How many matches you have is represented by the number of ping pong balls which are displayed by the Lottometer.


Picking Numbers

Picking numbers for comparison against either simulated drawings or real data is accomplished through the Options Menu.  Selecting "Pick Numbers" will display a window with six blank ping pong balls.  You may enter any legal numbers, moving from one ball to the next using the 'ENTER' key.  When done, click 'OK'.  Your numbers will be error checked and, if they are all valid, they will be moved into the "Your Numbers" area of the Status Window.  Once in the Status Window, they can be used for analysis against real of simulated lottery drawings.  You can pick as many numbers as you want for comparison against the same set of lottery data in this manner.

Selecting "Quick Pik" will present a window with six blank ping pong balls and you can watch the computer randomly select six numbers for you.  Hitting 'OK' will then place these numbers into the Status Window where they become your numbers for analysis and simulation purposes.  You can quick pick as many different numbers as you want for comparison against the same set of real or simulated data.


Using Real Data

Actual lottery data is stored in files with the default extension .hst.  The program is supplied with one such file named texas.hst.  It contains all the lottery data from the inception of the Texas Lotto to the release date of the program.  This file will allow demonstration of the program's capabilities and, if you are a Texas resident, will be of permanent value.

To use actual data, from the FILE MENU, select OPEN.  A list of files with the .hst extension will be presented.  Select the file of your choice, and the file will be loaded.  A spreadsheet style window will appear containing all the data.  This window is used to update the lottery database.  If you do not need to update, then hit the 'OK' button to close the window.  The data will remain available for analysis until the program is provided with different data either through a simulated drawing or by loading a different history file.

Once the data is loaded, you may change your numbers at will and perform all the selections in the ANALYSIS MENU.  All of your analysis will be performed with the data just loaded using the numbers in the STATUS WINDOW for comparison.

To create a new history file, from the FILE MENU, select NEW.  This will open a blank spreadsheet like window into which you can begin to type dates and results from other lotteries.  THE DATES ARE REQUIRED.  The program uses the dates internally so even if they are not important to you, they are to the program.  When you are done, clicking 'OK' will close the window and you will be prompted for a program name for your new history file.  Keep the .hst file extension if you want your file to included in the file list when opening history files.


Simulating Drawings

Simulating lottery drawings is accomplished through the Simulation Menu.  Selecting "Normal Drawing" will cause the program to simulate whatever number of drawing is displayed in the "Drawings" section of the Status Window.  As the drawings proceed, the Status Window will show the number of drawings completed as well as the number of matches (represented by ping pong balls) in each drawing as it is completed.  In addition, whatever numbers are displayed in the "Your Numbers" section of the Status Window are being compared in real time against the simulated lottery drawings and your results are being tallied.  Once the drawings are complete you can select the functions under the Analysis Menu to determine how your numbers performed and other data relative to the simulated drawings.

Selecting the "Draw Till I Win" option will present a screen where you must select the winning level (i.e. 2 numbers, 3 numbers, etc.).  Exercise CAUTION!  If you select 5 or 6 matches it will take a long time to win.  Remember, the odds against matching 6 numbers in a Pick 6/50 lotto are almost 16 million to 1!  ONCE YOU START THE "DRAW TILL I WIN" OPTION, IT CAN ONLY BE STOPPED BY HITTING 'CTRL-C'!  Once you win a window will come up to tell you how many drawings it took.  This function is interesting for testing theoretical odds and may convince you not to "invest" any more money in lotteries.


Analyzing Data

Analyzing data is accomplished through the Analysis Menu.  Data analysis is performed on data acquired through the latter of two operations: Opening a history file through the File Menu; or performing simulated drawings through the Simulation Menu.  If your most recent of these two operations was to run simulated drawings, then data analysis will be done against the simulated data generated by those drawings.  If, on the other hand, you have opened a history file more recently than you have run simulated drawings, then data analysis will be performed against the actual historical data.

The analysis functions include:

SHOW MY RESULTS:  This will compare your numbers as represented in the Status Window against the drawing data.  You will be shown how often your numbers matched at all levels from one match to six matches.

NUMBER FREQUENCY:  This analysis produces a line chart showing the legal numbers on the X axis and the number of times each number was selected in the lottery data analyzed.  This is useful for trying to spot "bias" or trends in the number selection.

HOT NUMBERS:  This analysis produces a window showing, in order of frequency, the six most frequently picked numbers in the data analyzed.  If you want these numbers to become your numbers, click on the 'GIMMIE' button.  You can then do another SHOW MY RESULTS analysis to see how these hot numbers may have fared.

OVERDUE NUMBERS:  This analysis produces a window showing the six least selected numbers in the data analyzed.  To make them your numbers click on the 'GIMMIE' button.  The theory here is that the laws of probability dictate that, in an infinite number of drawings, all numbers will be selected with the same frequency.  If your data sample is large enough, you may be able to spot numbers that need to "catch up" with the laws of probability.


Quick Start

USING ACTUAL LOTTERY DATA:

The program is supplied with a history file containing all lottery numbers from the Texas Lotto up to the date of program release.  Open this file by going into the FILE MENU and selecting OPEN.  A file list will be presented from which you select texas.hst.

A spreadsheet will appear with all the lotto data.  Unless you want to update the data, you can close the spreadsheet by hitting the 'OK' button.  The program now has real data to work with.

Select your favorite numbers from the OPTIONS MENU by selecting either the PICK NUMBERS or QUICK PICK options.  In QUICK PIK, simply click the 'OK' button after the computer has selected your numbers.  You will see them move to the STATUS WINDOW at the bottom of the screen.  In PICK NUMBERS, enter your numbers into the ping pong balls, hitting the 'Enter' Key to move from ball to ball.  Click the 'OK' button when you have entered all your numbers.  You will see your numbers move to the STATUS WINDOW at the bottom of the screen.

To see how well your numbers would have fared against the real lotteries, go to the ANALYSIS MENU and select SHOW MY RESULTS.  You will see a window with a summary of your results.

To analyze the actual data to look for patterns, biases and trends, go to the ANALYSIS MENU and select NUMBER FREQUENCY.  The resulting graph summarizes the results of all the drawings.  Also under the ANALYSIS MENU are selections for HOT NUMBERS and OVERDUE NUMBERS.  Each of these selections brings up a window showing either the six hottest or six most overdue numbers.  You can automatically make these your own numbers for analysis against current or future data by clicking the 'GIMMIE' button on the windows.  You will see the numbers move to the STATUS WINDOW at the bottom of the display.

GENERATING SIMULATED LOTTERY DATA:

All the analysis and number picking options described above for real data, can be performed with simulated lottery data.  This allows analysis of a much larger database than may be available with actual data.

To generate simulated data, first take note of the STATUS WINDOW "Drawings" display.  In an idle state it shows how many simulated lottery drawings the program is primed to perform.  The default number is 104 which corresponds to one year's worth of drawings in the Texas Lotto.  To change that number, from the OPTIONS MENU, select NUMBER OF DRAWINGS.  You will be shown a scroll bar that can be used to select any number of drawings from 1 to 8,000.

Once you have selected the number of drawings to simulate, from the SIMULATION MENU, select NORMAL DRAWING.  At this point the STATUS WINDOW becomes active showing the number of drawings incrementing in the "Drawings" display and the number of matches in each simulated drawing represented as ping pong balls in the "Lottometer" display.  Once the drawings are complete, any of the selections in the ANALYSIS MENU can be performed on the simulated data and you can change numbers at will for additional analysis without having to generate new data.

TESTING THE ODDS:

Once you have selected numbers as described above, you can test the theoretical lottery odds from the SIMULATION MENU by selecting DRAW TILL I WIN.  You will be asked how many numbers you want to match and then simulated lottery drawings will continue indefinitely until your numbers (as shown in the STATUS WINDOW) match at the level you selected.  BE CAREFUL!!  If you decide you want to match at the 5 or 6 number level it may take a LONG time.  The odds in a Pick 6/50 lottery for matching 6 numbers are almost 16 million to 1!  Once the DRAW TILL I WIN option begins, only a win or CTRL-C can stop it!


Program Registration

REGISTRATION

This software is distributed as "Shareware".  As such, you are free to use it to determine if it meets your needs before you are required to pay for it.  You are free to evaluate this software for a 30 day period.  If, after that time, you determine that you wish to continue to use it, you are required to register your copy for a fee of $10.

To register, send a check or money order made payable to: Don Fordham.

Mail, along with your name, address and telephone number to:

Southwest Software Associates

6888 Granero Drive

El Paso, Texas     79912

Feel free to distribute this program provided that you include all files without modification including readme files.  Above all, ENJOY IT!