Though most people who play the UK National Lottery on a regular basis are likely to have a preferred set of numbers for trying their luck at jackpots, there are some numbers that are necessarily picked more often than others. Whether players choose to work with the so-called luckiest numbers in the lottery or stay the course with their favorites, checking in on the numbers that were drawn the most –and the least– over the course of the last year can yield some fun surprises. The results of 2009’s luckiest and unluckiest lottery numbers have been released, and statistics for the past 15 years have also been compiled, tempting many to examine whether their picks were among the most likely to win.

For 2009, the most frequently-drawn numbers in the UK National Lottery were 39, 9, 31, 23, and 36. Typically considered to be a lucky number with superstitious significance, 7 tied with 15 for the unluckiest numbers of the year, followed by 14, 22, 29, and 12. Since the game began 15 years ago, the luckiest numbers as a whole have been 38, 23, 31, 11, 43, and 25. The least lucky numbers over the course of the UK lottery’s operation have been 20, 41, 13, 16, 21, and 15. Here’s to hoping those on the lottery’s least-drawn list enjoy some extra attention and help create plenty of new millionaires in the coming year.

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