Think of the odds, too—many people go for numbers that carry sentimental value. Even if you win, you might end up having to share the prize with them. For example, if a Mega Millions ticket requires 5 numbers between 1 and 70, you might play 1, 15, 36, 48, and 63. This is an example of a unique ticket with unrelated numbers that aren’t close together—not a lot of people would intentionally pick these.
1+2+3+4+5=15 51+52+53+54+55=265 The lowest sum and the highest sum each only occur once. Your safest bet is to choose combinations of numbers with sums that aren’t 15 or 265. Studies suggest that the “70 Percent Range” for 5/55 includes sets of numbers that add up to sums between 104 and 176. If you don’t want to do any complicated calculations or buy any lotto software, just make sure the lottery numbers you add up don’t result in the lowest or highest possible sum for your drawing.
A winning ticket is unlikely to consist of a pattern like 3, 13, 23, 33, 43. It also isn’t likely to be a short range of numbers like 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25. While a series of numbers may look meaningful to you, like 22, 33, 44, and 55, they’re unlikely to all show up together when the winning lottery numbers are pulled. Mix up your ticket with both odd and even numbers. Although the winning numbers could be all odd numbers, for instance, it’s unlikely.
Least called numbers in the Powerball: 60, 36, 9, 11, 47, 40, 33, 2, 5 and 46. Most frequently appearing Powerball numbers: 1, 26, 18, 10, 10, 2, 12, 11, 9, 6 and 20. Most common primary numbers in the Powerball: 10, 42, 39, 28, 22, 23, 23, 32, 16, 41 and 26.
Quick picks are random, so you know you will end up with a unique set of numbers no one else is likely to have. It has as much of a chance of winning a single drawing as a ticket you picked yourself. Quick picks save you time, but the machine doesn’t calculate odds for you when it automatically prints out your ticket. Keep in mind that the sequence of numbers in quick picks are harder to remember than ones you play all the time.
Some people buy hundreds of tickets and lose. Remember that it’s important to stay within your budget, because while the lottery is a fun game, you’re not guaranteed to win money (even if you invested a lot of it stocking up on tickets). In the biggest lotteries, an unlimited number of tickets can be printed out for every possible number combination. It’d be extremely difficult to buy enough tickets to dramatically increase your odds of getting a winning ticket.
If you keep buying weekly tickets and the jackpot continues to grow, then you have a greater chance of yielding a profit.
Keep in mind that the odds of a big jackpot are still very remote and, if you do win, you’ll have to share the payout with everyone in the pool. Make sure someone trustworthy handles the money and tickets. Keep a photocopy of your ticket and receipt to ensure you have proof in case you win. To protect everyone in your lottery group, create a “syndicate agreement,” a formal document that outlines the terms that each member agreed to. [10] X Research source
The odds of winning are still low no matter how many tickets you get, but this strategy could be fun for you if you’re really motivated by a big payout. Many lotteries, including big ones like Powerball, have a cumulative jackpot that grows when no one wins. For the best chance of winning money, do this for a smaller game with less participants, like a state pick-3. With bigger games like EuroMillions, your odds will still be very low.
Regional lottery games have better odds than big games like Powerball and Mega Millions. For example, try a state pick-3 game. You only have to pick 3 numbers to win instead of 5 or 6. The less numbers a game has, the less combinations there will be, so you’re more likely to select a winning sequence.
Scratch cards are quick and accessible. Most lottery commissions have a number of different games to play. You could get cheap cards or play pricier games with bigger prizes. A typical scratch card offers 1:5 odds at best, meaning that 1 in every 5 cards is a winner. This could mean winning a prize of $1 USD or a big jackpot. It depends on the game.
For example, Powerball offers 9 ways to win. You can win a small prize by picking the number on the red ball. You could also win by picking 3 or more white ball numbers.
