Frequency, draw history and statistical context for the number 42 in past Mega Millions draws.
Since October 31, 2017 · 943 draws
Across 943 historical Mega Millions draws, the number 42 has appeared 79 times — that's 8.38% of all draws. That's 17% above the expected rate for a uniformly random draw, putting it firmly in the hot bucket.
These statistics count only draws played with the current Mega Millions numbers: main numbers (1–70) since October 31, 2017 (943 draws) and Mega Ball (1–24) since April 8, 2025 (167 draws). Older draws used a different set of numbers, so counting them would make the newer numbers look colder than they are.
Number 42 was last drawn 10 draws ago. Whether that makes it "due" is a long-running debate among lottery players — the mathematical answer is that lottery draws are independent events, so a number's history has no influence on the next draw. But the Strategy Lab lets you bias your picks toward or away from overdue numbers if you want to play with that pattern.