[general_re]

All you've done is compared the odds that a particular person would win both lotteries to the odds that both lotteries will be won. While you're right that someone winning the lottery is a rather common occurrence - happens every week or two here in NY - the point is that the odds of any one person winning both lotteries are rather long.

There's a mathematical principle called the law of truly large numbers. Basically it says that when you have large enough sample sets, improbable events become common, or indeed inevitable.

Well, yes, but here, by definition, the sample set is one person, given two drawings. And the odds on that are pretty bad ;)

[RansomOttawa]

While you're right that someone winning the lottery is a rather common occurrence - happens every week or two here in NY - the point is that the odds of any one person winning both lotteries are rather long.

Well, yes, that was my point, in reverse. As I said, it's marvelous for Mr. Angelo Gallina. I'll bet he never saw it coming.

But in a state as populous as California, odds are it would happen to someone, somewhere possibly as frequently as once or twice a year. Seen in that light, it's a fairly common occurence, hardly the "astronomical" news item the article gives the impression of it being. That's my only point.