Would you believe that you’re over 600 times more likely to be struck by lightning than to hit the lotto jackpot? Or that your chances of winning the lottery are slimmer than your chances of becoming a movie star, or even a saint?!
Despite knowing deep down how remote our lottery chances are, there’s always a tiny part of us that thinks, “but what if it’s me?!” It’s this small glimmer of hope that encourages Americans to spend around $220 each every year on lottery tickets.
That said, there are ways to increase your chances of winning the lottery. Let’s take a look at some strategies and how they work!
What Chance of Winning the Lottery do I have?
Before we consider how to increase your odds of winning the lottery, it can help to get an idea of the odds you’re starting with. That said, this depends a lot on the lottery you’re playing.
When the Mega Millions jackpot topped $1 billion in January 2021, the chance of winning was 1 in 302,575,350 while Powerball draws offer a 1 in 292 million chance. Compare these odds to your 1 in 42 million chance of winning the California Super Lotto and you can see that the game can make a big difference.
5 Tactics for Improving Your Odds
Want to know how to win the lottery, or at least improve your odds? Here are some strategies that can give you a slight edge over others:
Buy more Tickets
The only sure-fire way of improving your chance of winning the lottery is to buy more tickets for the same draw. Although, you’ll only increase your odds by one in tens or hundreds of millions for each ticket you buy.
Choose Less Popular Draws
When the jackpot climbs for the biggest lotteries, most people forget about smaller games. Or, indeed, the daily picks that happen on the same days, as shown in this lottery draw schedule. Although less popular draws pay less in prize money, your chances of winning are much higher.
Join a Syndicate
A great way to increase your chances of winning the lottery is to join a syndicate with co-workers or friends. On the downside, you’ll have to share the prize money, but when you’re talking about a jackpot of $543 million, that doesn’t sound too unreasonable!
Avoid “Lucky Numbers” and Birthdays
If you want the whole jackpot for yourself, you’ll need to avoid thinking like everyone else playing the lottery. This means you’ll have to avoid choosing popular “lucky numbers” like 7. Many people also choose family birthdays so picking numbers over 31 will ensure that if you do win, you won’t have to share.
Choose Consecutive Numbers
Although probability teaches us that every lottery number has an equal chance, most people avoid choosing series such as 32, 33, and 34, thinking that they’re unlikely to appear together. But going against the grain and choosing consecutive numbers is a great way to decrease your chances of having to share the prize money.
Increasing Your Chances of Winning the Lottery
Your chances of winning the lottery might not be as good as getting struck by lightning or starring in a Hollywood movie. But you do have the same chance as anyone else of choosing the winning numbers.
And, by following these tips on how to win the lottery, your lottery chances can only improve!
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