How your cookie's numbers are picked
Each cookie gives you six different numbers from 1 to 49, sorted from low to high, the same format as a classic 6/49 lottery. For the cookie of the day, the numbers are calculated from the date, so everyone gets the same set that day. All other cookies use your browser's random number generator.
Neither method looks at past draws, statistics or anything of the sort. They're nice numbers for a paper slip, nothing more.
What numbers mean around the world
| Number | Where | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | China | 八 (bā) sounds like 发 (fā), linked to prosperity. The Beijing Olympics opened on August 8, 2008 at 8:08 pm. |
| 6 | China | 六 (liù) sounds like 流 (liú, to flow): things going smoothly. Online, "666" means "awesome". |
| 4 | China, Japan, Korea | It sounds like the word for death. Many buildings skip the fourth floor. |
| 9 | Japan | One of its readings, ku, matches the word for suffering. |
| 7 | The West, Japan | The classic lucky number. It's the most likely total with two dice, and Japan has seven gods of fortune. |
| 13 | English-speaking countries | Friday the 13th is the unlucky day. In Spain and Latin America it's Tuesday the 13th. |
| 17 | Italy | In Roman numerals it's XVII, an anagram of VIXI, "I have lived", meaning "I'm dead". Italians fear Friday the 17th. |
The cookie that paid out millions
On March 30, 2005, the US Powerball drawing produced 110 second-prize winners, when a handful was normal. Officials suspected fraud, but the explanation was simpler: most of them had played the same combination, taken from fortune cookies made by a single New York manufacturer. They matched five numbers, missed the last one, and won between $100,000 and $500,000 each.
It wasn't the cookie's luck. The manufacturer printed the same combination on a huge number of slips, so thousands of people played it at once.
The math, without the magic
There are exactly 13,983,816 possible combinations of six numbers out of 49. Any combination, including the one in your cookie, has the same chance of being drawn: about one in fourteen million. No number is lucky in a statistical sense.
Play responsibly. The numbers on this site are for fun and don't improve your odds in any game of chance. If gambling worries you, help is available from the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700 in the US or GamCare at 0808 8020 133 in the UK.
Questions about lucky numbers
What is the most common lucky number?
In the West, 7. In China, 8. Seven is probably the world's most popular lucky number by sheer number of fans.
Why does the cookie of the day have the same numbers for everyone?
Because they're calculated from the date. That way you can compare numbers with friends and family that day.
Can I play the numbers in the lottery?
You can, but your odds are exactly the same as with any other combination. Treat it as a game.