NumbersIntel is a data-forward gambling-analytics platform. Most lottery sites show you the winning numbers; we show you what those numbers mean for your wallet — the real expected value of each game, ranked side by side.
What we do
For every major US lottery we publish the live jackpot, the cash value, the odds, and — the part nobody else makes clear — the expected value per dollar spent: how many cents of value a $1 ticket actually returns once you account for every prize tier and taxes. It's the single number that tells you which game is "best" on any given night (they're all negative, but some are far less bad than others).
How the data works
Our numbers come straight from official sources — powerball.com for Powerball and Lotto America, and megamillions.com's own data service for Mega Millions. An automated pipeline (a scraper run by GitHub Actions) refreshes the figures after every drawing, so the site stays current with zero manual work. We also maintain a full historical archive of past draws, jackpots, and cash values.
How we calculate expected value
For each game we sum the cash-option jackpot and every fixed lower-tier prize, each divided by its odds, then apply an assumed 63% post-tax take (37% federal + roughly 26% blended state) and divide by the ticket price. The result is cents of value returned per $1. We use published prize tables and odds; secondary-prize multipliers (Power Play, All Star Bonus, Mega Millions' built-in multiplier) are noted where they apply.
What we cover
- Now: Powerball, Mega Millions, and Lotto America — jackpots, EV, odds visualizer, and a full historical archive.
- Next: state lotteries, scratch-ticket EV rankings, and eventually house-edge data across casino games and sports betting.
A word on responsible play
Everything here is for information and entertainment only — it is not financial, legal, or gambling advice. The lottery is a negative-expected-value game by design; never spend money you can't afford to lose. If gambling is a problem for you or someone you know, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Questions or corrections? Reach us at contact@numbersintel.com.