Divisibility properties of sporadic Apéry-like numbers

In 1982, Gessel showed that the Apéry numbers associated to the irrationality of ζ (3) satisfy Lucas congruences. Our main result is to prove corresponding congruences for all known sporadic Apéry-like sequences. In several cases, we are able to employ approaches due to McIntosh, Samol–van Straten and Rowland–Yassawi to establish these congruences. However, for the sequences labeled s 18 and ( η ) we require a finer analysis. As an application, we investigate modulo which numbers these sequences are periodic. In particular, we show that the Almkvist–Zudilin numbers are periodic modulo 8, a special property which they share with the Apéry numbers. We also investigate primes which do not divide any term of a given Apéry-like sequence.