Investigating Randomness and Fairness in the Romanian 6/49 Lottery

The objective of this research is to analyze the randomness and fairness of the Romanian 6/49 lottery through statistical methods, focusing on the distribution and frequency of the drawn numbers. The study aims to deepen the understanding of inherent randomness in lottery games and to assess whether the lottery system operates without bias. The dataset covers 2,706 lottery draws spanning from August 8, 1993, to May 16, 2024, providing a robust basis for statistical analysis. The methodology combines chi-square tests with cumulative frequency analysis, supported by a Monte Carlo simulation implemented in Python. The chi-square test compares the observed frequency of each drawn number against the expected frequency under a model of random draws, thereby detecting any significant deviations. In addition, the cumulative frequency of each number is plotted over time to identify potential trends or anomalies. The chi-square test produced a statistic of 62.61 with a p-value of 0.0766, indicating no significant deviation from randomness at the 0.05 significance level. This result suggests that the observed distribution of numbers aligns with what would be expected from random draws. Overall, the findings support the conclusion that the Romanian 6/49 lottery exhibits the randomness and fairness characteristic of an unbiased lottery system.