How to Increase Your Chances of Winning the Lottery
In a time when state governments struggle with declining tax revenues, many are looking for other ways to raise money. One of those is the lottery. In the United States, lotteries contribute billions of dollars annually to state coffers. But despite the low odds of winning, people love to play. In fact, Gallup polls show that lotteries are the most popular form of gambling in the country.
Lottery marketing campaigns expertly capitalize on fear of missing out — FOMO. They remind consumers that everyone else is buying a ticket, so you may as well try your luck. And with tickets costing the same price as a cup of coffee, that’s easy to do.
People buy tickets based on all sorts of quote-unquote systems. They have rules about which stores and times to purchase their tickets, what numbers to choose and what kind of scratch-off ticket to buy. But none of these strategies actually improves your odds.
When you choose specific numbers — such as birthdays or other significant dates — you are diluting the overall chance of winning, Harvard statistics professor Mark Glickman says. He recommends choosing random numbers or purchasing Quick Picks instead. And if you want to increase your chances of winning, consider holding on to your tickets and participating in second-chance drawings.
If you win a big jackpot, you’ll need to split the prize with other winners who also chose those same numbers. And if you play the same number for multiple drawings, you’ll reduce your chance of winning by as much as half, according to a study by mathematician and former lottery winner Stefan Mandel.