Abstract: The invention is the "Darkhorse" method of selecting the winning number in a multiple number selection lottery contest, (a so-called "numbers game"). Instead of randomly selecting the winning number at the close of play by use of a random number generating device, the winning number is declared to be, by rule of the game, that number upon which the least amount of money will be wagered during the course of the game. In case of a tie, the lowest number played least is declared to be the winning number. As the game proceeds, numbers, as they are played, are entered into the memory of a digital computer programmed to sort the numbers, tally the amounts wagered on each number, and feed back to the lottery wager-entry terminals the identity of the lowest number played least and such other information as the contest operator may choose to disclose to wagerers as the game progresses.