# Random number generator: how to pick fair random numbers for draws and games, and why random does not mean even

> Pick a range, say how many numbers you want, and get them in one tap. Here is how to set it up for 1 to 10, 1 to 100, a raffle or a lottery-style pick, what No repeats really does, why true randomness produces clumps and repeats, and when you should not use a random number tool at all.

Published 2026-10-23 by Toolcloak. 7 minute read. Original: https://toolcloak.com/articles/random-number-generator-how-to-pick-fair-random-numbers-for-draws-and-games-and-why-random-does-not-mean-even
Related free tool: [Random Number Generator](https://toolcloak.com/tools/random-number-generator)

Who goes first in a game? Which ticket wins the raffle? Which student answers the next question? Whenever a decision has to be fair and nobody should be able to argue, a random number settles it. The [Random Number Generator](https://toolcloak.com/tools/random-number-generator) gives you one, or up to a thousand, in a range you choose. Using it is easy. Understanding what “random” really means is what stops people drawing the wrong conclusions from the result.

> **In short**
> - Set **Minimum**, **Maximum** and **How many** (1 to 1,000), then press **Generate Numbers**. Both the minimum and the maximum can be picked.
> - **No repeats** is on by default, so each number appears once. Switch it off if the same number may come up again, as with dice.
> - You can allow **decimals** (two places), **sort** the result, and use **negative** numbers.
> - The numbers come from your browser’s **secure random source**, and every number in the range is equally likely.
> - True randomness is lumpy. Repeats, runs and gaps are normal, and a draw has no memory of the last one.

## How to use it, step by step

1. Open the [Random Number Generator](https://toolcloak.com/tools/random-number-generator).
2. Type the **Minimum** and the **Maximum**. They start at 1 and 100.
3. Type **How many** numbers you want. It starts at 5 and accepts 1 to 1,000.
4. Leave **No repeats** on if each number should be picked at most once.
5. Turn on **Allow decimals (2 places)** for numbers like 37.42, and **Sort result** if you want them in order.
6. Press **Generate Numbers**. You get the list, the range, the smallest, the largest and the average.

Try it: [Random Number Generator](https://toolcloak.com/tools/random-number-generator). Set a range and how many numbers you want, then press Generate. Press it again for a fresh draw.

If the settings do not make sense, the tool tells you in plain words: “Maximum must be larger than minimum”, “Choose between 1 and 1000 numbers”, or “You asked for 20 unique numbers but the range has only 10”. That last one is a useful check. You cannot pick 20 different numbers from a list of 10.

## Settings for the jobs people search for most

| The job | Minimum | Maximum | How many | No repeats |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| A random number from 1 to 10 | 1 | 10 | 1 | Either |
| A random number from 1 to 100 | 1 | 100 | 1 | Either |
| Pick 3 raffle winners from 200 tickets | 1 | 200 | 3 | **On**, so one ticket cannot win twice |
| Choose 6 numbers from 1 to 49, in order | 1 | 49 | 6 | **On**, with Sort result on |
| Order of speakers for 12 people | 1 | 12 | 12 | **On**. The list is the order |
| A coin-style toss (1 or 2) | 1 | 2 | 1 | Either |
| Ten rolls of a die | 1 | 6 | 10 | **Off**, because a die repeats |
| A random percentage with decimals | 0 | 100 | 1 | Decimals on |

*For dice and coins, the [Dice Roller & Coin Flip](https://toolcloak.com/tools/dice-roller-coin-flip) is simpler, and the article on [two dice and a coin](https://toolcloak.com/articles/two-dice-and-a-coin-why-seven-wins-and-why-streaks-prove-nothing) explains the odds.*

**Picking 5 unique numbers from 1 to 100**

| Group | Count |
| --- | --- |
| Numbers picked | 5 |
| Numbers not picked | 95 |

Each single number has a **5 in 100** chance of being in the list, and the five that appear are in no way “due”. Press the button again and you start from a clean slate.

## What No repeats does

With No repeats **on**, the tool keeps a list of the numbers it has already picked. If it draws one it has seen, it throws it away and draws again, until it has as many different numbers as you asked for. With No repeats **off**, every draw is independent, so the same number can appear twice or more in one batch.

**Same range, two settings**

| No repeats on | No repeats off |
| --- | --- |
| Like a raffle | Like dice |
| Every number appears at most once | The same number may appear again |
| Pick 5 from 1–100 and get 5 different numbers | Pick 5 from 1–100 and one pair could match |
| You cannot ask for more than the range holds | Any count up to 1,000 works, even in a small range |

*Neither is more random. They answer different questions: “which tickets” or “what came up each time”.*

> **Decimals and repeats:** When you turn on **Allow decimals**, the numbers are spread across the range and rounded to two places, and the No repeats switch is not applied. With so many possible values, matching numbers are rare but not impossible. For a list that must be all different, use whole numbers.

## Is it really random

The tool does not use the simple built-in random function that many websites rely on. It asks your browser’s **cryptographic random source**, the same kind of source used for security purposes, for its raw values. It then turns those into your range in a way that gives every whole number, including the minimum and the maximum, the same chance.

For draws, games and classroom use, that is more than enough. Nobody, including the website, can predict or steer the next number.

> **Random numbers are not a substitute for a proper secret generator:** Do not use this tool to make passwords, PINs or keys. Those need the right length, the right characters and no leftover on screen. Use the [Password Generator](https://toolcloak.com/tools/password-generator), the [Random PIN Generator](https://toolcloak.com/tools/random-pin-generator) or the [Random String Generator](https://toolcloak.com/tools/random-string-generator) instead, and see [why password length matters](https://toolcloak.com/articles/your-password-is-not-weak-because-it-is-short).

## Random does not mean even

This is the idea that trips most people. They press the button five times, see a repeat, and think it is broken. It is not. A truly random process does not spread results out neatly. It produces **clusters, repeats and gaps**, and a result with none of those would be the suspicious one.

A good example is the chance of getting at least one repeat when you draw numbers with No repeats off:

**Chance of at least one repeat in a batch (numbers 1 to 100, repeats allowed)**

|  | Chance |
| --- | --- |
| 5 numbers | 9.7% |
| 10 numbers | 37.2% |
| 15 numbers | 66.9% |
| 20 numbers | 87.0% |

*Ten numbers from only 100 already repeat more than a third of the time. This is the same idea as the “birthday problem”: among just 23 people, the chance that two share a birthday is about 51%.*

- **A number “not coming up” does not make it likelier next time.** The generator has no memory. Believing otherwise is called the gambler’s fallacy.
- **Runs happen.** Three even numbers in a row is ordinary, not a sign of a fault.
- **A small sample will not look like the range.** Five numbers from 1 to 100 are expected to average about 50.5, but one batch may average 38 or 71. The tool shows the average so you can see this, and the [mean, median and mode guide](https://toolcloak.com/articles/mean-vs-median-vs-mode-why-the-average-salary-is-misleading) explains why small batches wander.
- **Patterns you see are usually accidents.** Our eyes look for order, so we notice 7, 8, 9 and forget the thousand draws that had no pattern.

## Lottery-style picks: what random can and cannot do

Many people use a random generator to choose their lottery numbers. It is a fine way to pick, and it does one useful thing: it avoids the birthday-heavy numbers many people choose, which can matter if a prize is shared. What it cannot do is change your chance of winning, which is fixed by how many combinations exist.

**The size of the odds**

|  | Value | Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ways to choose 6 from 49 | 13,983,816 | One in about 14 million |
| Ways to choose 6 from 45 | 8,145,060 | One in about 8 million |
| Every set has the same chance | 1 in 14M | Including 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 |
| To read all 49-choose-6 sets | 162 days | At one set per second, non-stop |

*The count comes from combinations, explained in the [permutations and combinations guide](https://toolcloak.com/articles/permutations-vs-combinations-when-order-matters-and-why-a-combination-lock-is-misnamed). Check the rules of your own game, because the numbers drawn differ.*

The set 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 is exactly as likely as any other single set. People avoid it because it does not look random, but looking random and being random are different things.

## Running a fair raffle or lucky draw

**A draw nobody can argue with**

1. **Number every ticket.** Give each entry a number from 1 to N, and write down the list before the draw.
2. **Say the rules first.** Announce the range, how many winners, and that repeats are off, before you press anything.
3. **Draw in front of everyone.** Set Minimum 1, Maximum N, How many equal to the winners, and No repeats on, then press Generate.
4. **Record it.** Take a screenshot or read the numbers out loud, because the tool does not save a draw and a second press gives a different set.
5. **Accept the first result.** Redrawing until you like the answer defeats the purpose.

*For picking names from a list, the [Random Name Picker](https://toolcloak.com/tools/random-name-picker) and [Spinner Wheel](https://toolcloak.com/tools/spinner-wheel) do the same job with names.*

> **Rules for real prize draws:** A casual lucky draw among friends or a classroom is fine. Prize draws for the public are regulated in many places, and you may need a licence, a witness or an auditable method. A web tool that does not log its draws is not an audit trail.

## Other uses that work well

- **Teaching:** pick a roll number for the next question, or make sample data for a maths exercise (try 20 numbers from 1 to 100, sorted, and find the median).
- **Games and sport:** a bingo-style set from 1 to 75 with No repeats on, or a random starting order.
- **Testing:** generate sample values for a spreadsheet or a script. The [Fake Data Generator](https://toolcloak.com/tools/fake-data-generator) makes names and addresses.
- **Choosing between options:** number your options and let the draw choose. It is a clean way to end a debate you do not care about.

See also: [picking winners or splitting a class into teams from a list of names](https://toolcloak.com/articles/random-name-picker-how-to-pick-winners-or-split-a-class-into-fair-teams-from-a-list-and-what-happens-with-duplicate-names).

## Frequently asked questions

### How do I get a random number from 1 to 10?

Open the Random Number Generator, set Minimum to 1, Maximum to 10 and How many to 1, then press Generate Numbers. Both 1 and 10 can be picked, and each of the ten numbers is equally likely.

### Random number kaise nikale?

Random Number Generator kholiye, Minimum aur Maximum likhiye, kitne number chahiye wo How many mein dalkar Generate Numbers dabaiye. Bina repeat ke chahiye to No repeats on rakhiye. Har baar dabane par naye number aate hain.

### How do I generate numbers without repeating?

Leave No repeats switched on. The tool then picks each number at most once. Note that you cannot ask for more unique numbers than the range holds, for example 20 unique numbers from 1 to 10.

### Is this random number generator truly random?

It uses your browser’s secure random source, the same kind used for security, and gives every whole number in the range the same chance. Nobody can predict or steer the result, which is far more than enough for draws and games.

### Why do I get the same number twice?

Real randomness has repeats. With No repeats off, the same number can come up again, and ten numbers from 1 to 100 repeat in more than a third of batches. Turn No repeats on if every number must be different.

### Can I use it to pick lottery numbers?

Yes, for choosing numbers, with No repeats on and Sort result on. It will not improve your odds, which depend on how many combinations exist. Every possible set is equally likely, including 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

### Can it make decimals or negative numbers?

Yes. Turn on Allow decimals for two decimal places, and enter a negative Minimum, such as -50, for negative numbers. The No repeats switch is not applied when decimals are on.

### Can I use it for passwords or PINs?

No. Use a password or PIN generator, which is built for secrets, and keep them out of screenshots. This tool is meant for draws, games, teaching and testing.