Lotteries, raffles and other types of games based on random number generation or selection have been around for centuries. They appeal to the most basic desire of pretty much anyone in modern society — getting rich.
Tens of thousands of people line up in front of newsstands and convenience stores everyday in order to mark their chosen numbers and send out their coupons, in hopes of striking it big. There are also many online tools that let you play the lotteries from the comfort of your own home.
Various websites, like the LotteryCritic.com, have been dedicated to this type of games and events, to provide enthusiasts with a space where they can check the day's winning numbers or learn about tips and strategies to help them place their bets more effectively.
It is no secret that lotteries are extremely popular and generate copious amounts of interest even nowadays, with other online gambling options available. There is something about these games and the way that they appeal to pure luck that human beings find very attractive. Another reason for this ever-increasing popularity is the elusive desire and belief in one's ability to beat the system and predict the victorious numbers before the draw.
But can you really guess those digits? It doesn't seem all that probable and while there are no surefire ways to get them right, strategies do exist, that will help you increase your chances of success.
How lotteries work
With the history of lotteries and similar games dating back to 205 BC, the drawing system has undergone quite a few changes since its inception.
Nowadays, the most popular lotteries in the United States are the Mega Millions and Powerball franchises. Let's take a look at Mega Millions to see exactly how these games operate, what your probability of winning is and finally, what you can do to increase your chances.
In Mega Millions, there are 5 numbers drawn from a pool of 75 digits and a bonus one, taken out of a bowl with just 15 numbers inside of it. If your coupon matches all of the six selected numbers, then the jackpot is yours!
Also, you probably might want to wake up, given that the probability of striking it is only 1 in 258,890,850! It is no coincidence that people do not win these jackpots too often.
How to increase your chances of winning
Since there are so many variables in lotteries like Mega Millions, you should not waste your time and energy trying here are two basic schools of betting on lottery numbers that you should take a look at.
Always picking the same numbers
This is a tactic as old as time. Everybody has at least one or two lucky numbers they identify with for a variety of reasons: dates of important events, birthdays, the jersey number of a favorite basketball player and plenty of others.
The classic move of selecting the same digits over and over again is a favorite tactic of the old-timers. There is a certain logic to this strategy that simply cannot be denied — if they haven't turned up until now, they are bound to pop up sooner than later!
Unfortunately, it does not really work that way. Your combination is competing with hundreds of millions of others. The chance of it not ever showing up is very real. Switching it up once in a while seems to be the better option, but guess what — the probability of your favored combination popping up exactly on the day you've decided to bet on different numbers is also within the realm of possibility!
Method to the madness
Another popular strategy of lottery enthusiasts is setting up a sequence according to which they select the numbers on the ticket. Rather than an attempt at synchronizing with the algorithm that churns out the winning digits, they set up these tactics by which they change it up to have a number generator of their own.
That way, they don't need to think of the numbers of the spot, avoiding personal biases, but they also do not pick them out at random. The entire premise of this strategy is based around hope that one day, your own “algorithm” will overlap with that of the lottery, and win you the ultimate price.
Supporters of this tactic tend to believe that most national lottery numbers are not random at all, that there is a logical, mathematical system behind them. It is not possible to determine whether they are right or wrong, but it couldn't hurt to use their strategy.
