Men Named Alexander, Women Named Elena Most Likely to Hit Casino Jackpots in Russia

Men named Alexander and women named Elena are most likely to hit casino jackpots in Russia, a new study has found.

The study compiled data from the country’s Krasnaya Polyana gambling zone and national lottery operators. It found that 38% of all men who win big casino prizes are named Alexander, the Russian media outlet Pro Gorod reported.

In the case of lotteries, men named Alexander scooped 19% of all prizes worth 1 million rubles ($12,423) or more.

The second luckiest male name was Vladimir, winning 10% of major prizes. Sergei followed in third place with 9%, ahead of Viktor at 8.5%, and Andrei at 7%.

Alexander, the media outlet noted, has been Russia’s most popular name for the past 40 years. Elena, meanwhile, was the most popular name for newborn girls from the 1960s to the 1980s. This explains why so many people in the 38-40 age bracket are named Elena, the outlet added.

The top three “lucky” women’s names were the aforementioned Elena, followed by Natalia and Svetlana.

The data shows that the average age of big prize winners is 38-40, meaning they were born between 1982 and 1985.

“The geography of luck also plays a role,” the media outlet wrote. The data shows most winners came from Moscow, ahead of St. Petersburg, with Sochi in third place.

Russia’s Luckiest Names: Alexander and Elena

“The statistics stubbornly show that Alexander from Moscow is more likely to win than Igor from the same city,” Pro Gorod explained. “Skeptics argue that name popularity explains these statistics […]. However, even after adjusting for popularity, the winning percentage for certain names is higher than average.”

In the United States and the UK, data suggests people with certain English names are also more likely to win.

Michigan’s M Live reported that the gambling operator BetUS Casino reviewed up to 150 of the most recent lottery winners in each US state where names were publicly available.

Its review found that Michael ranked first, with 97 recent winners. Making up the rest of the top five were John in second place, followed by David, Robert, and James.

For women, Patricia was first, followed by Amanda, Kimberly, Angela, and Deborah.

What’s in a Name?

In the UK, the betting operator Lottoland analyzed 12 months of British betting data in 2023. It found that people born on June 8 were the UK’s luckiest bettors.

The luckiest male British name for bettors was Archie, with Vivian topping the list for female gamblers. The study also found that the majority of winning bets were placed at 9 p.m. on Fridays.

Gambling is on the rise in Russia. Citizens can now use government-provided “self-prohibition tools” to ensure they do not place bets in the future.

A law that comes into force in September will require all permit-holding bookmakers, betting shops, casinos, and slot machine parlors in the country to ensure patrons’ names do not appear on a designated “self-prohibition” list.

Operators who fail to comply can be fined. Repeat offenders face temporary or permanent suspension orders.