Malcolm has been watching a roulette-type game at a local charity bazaar. The game has only ten numbers on the wheel, and every number except 8 has come up as a winner during the last 15 minutes. Malcolm decides to bet $10 on number 8, because it has to come up eventually. What has influenced Malcolm's choice in this case?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Malcolm's choice is influenced by the gambler's fallacy, which is the false belief that past independent events influence the probability of future events. In reality, each spin of the roulette wheel is an independent event and the fact that number 8 has not come up yet does not increase its chances of coming up in the next spin.

Malcolm Has Been Watching a Roulette-Type Game at a Local