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How to Win the Lottery Using Math – The Unveiled Truth

There are only two ways when you want to do more than simply play to win the lottery. One of them is to trust any supernatural force or unknown influence that can go beyond the fact that the lottery is a game of chance, but that is not our focus here. The remaining option is trying to identify how to win the lottery using math, which may be even more polemic.

However, it may not be as simple as it sounds. In fact, most players will soon realize that they are better off with some lottery quick picks instead. Let me explain how math and lottery wins are connected and how limited that approach may be.

Can Math Make You Win the Lottery?

Doing the right math cannot guarantee your lottery prize. That is a fact. Every single real lottery out there in the world right now is a true game of chance. In other words, you cannot calculate the exact numbers that will come out, and not even a small prize can be guaranteed through calculations.

What math does make possible is the ability to estimate the real odds of winning and how they can be slightly improved – not guaranteed!

Lottery robots, lottery software, and even supercomputers can only do one thing: generate combinations based on the inputs given to them by the players or whoever created them. As we know, mathematically speaking, the odds of winning with any combination are the exact same.

Therefore, if a supercomputer gave you 04-07-13-21-45 in a 5/45 game and you also made a ticket with your Pisces lucky numbers of 01-03-14-29-34, both would have the exact same chances. That alone discourages spending any money on those types of lottery resources.

It is not that Math cannot help you win the lottery, but it will not provide you a win. Math can simply lead you through the best possible decisions while having the same odds as everyone else.

How to Use Math to Improve Your Odds of Winning

It is finally time to understand how your odds can be improved using simple math knowledge. Maybe you are already doing everything you can, but you will at least understand how to maintain that good flow.

More Tickets Over More Drawings

The first thing you should know about the lottery is that the odds are exactly represented by your tickets. In other words, a game with odds of 1 in 30,821,472 like Lucky for Life becomes a game with odds of 10 in 30,821,472 if you purchase ten tickets instead of one.

That said, the best way to have better odds of winning any prize is to cover as many tickets as possible. We already know that buying every combination of lottery tickets is not a valid strategy, but you may be able to invest a little more now and then.

Therefore, whenever possible, it sounds like a better idea to have much better odds a couple of times a week than playing every day with much harder chances of winning.

Compare the Odds of Winning the Lottery

Making the right choice of games can change your future completely. When you play, and that applies to both local and online lotteries, you can make your chances of winning much better if you stick to games that have better odds. It does sound incredible to be one of the almost billionaire Powerball winners, but your odds there are really tough.

Here is an idea of how games can change your jackpot perspective based only on their format:

Lottery Matrix Your Odds
5/20 1 in 15,504
5/35 1 in 324,631
5/42 1 in 850,667
5/50 1 in 2,118,759
6/42 1 in 5,245,785
6/49 1 in 13,983,815
5/90 1 in 43,949,267
6/90 1 in 622,614,629

Of course, you must also consider all the drums involved in the game. If a game works like Mega Millions, there are two drums – in this case, 5/70 and 1/25. The odds of winning by matching the draws of those two drums are breathtakingly 1 in 302,575,350.

However, the odds of matching only the first drum of 5/70 is 1 in 12,607,306 and that results in a prize of $1,000,000 before taxes. That is why you should consider all the drums in a game. Then, the lesson is to always choose the games not for the jackpot or structure but for your real odds of winning.

How to Discover the Odds and the Probability of a Lottery Game?

There is a really simple way to discover the odds and the probability of a lottery game to decide if it is worth playing, and that is by checking our full lottery results page. Every game in the world is available and detailed there, but I also want you to be aware of the calculation that can give you that same information through effort.

The formula uses binomial coefficients that consider the total of the numbers available to be chosen and the numbers you are allowed to take:

Probability of a Lottery Game

Whereas:

  • n = total number pool
  • r = numbers to pick

If we use the common lottery format of 6/49, like Lotto 6/49, “n” would be replaced by 49 and “r” by 6. The result of that mathematical operation is 13,983,816. Therefore, that is the total of possible combinations, and each ticket represents one more of those combinations.

In the table below, find some lottery games that are easier than the majority of the games found at your local retailer.

Lottery Format Odds of Winning
Trinidad/Tobago Cash Pot 5/20 1 in 15,504
Swedish Lotto 7/35 1 in 6,724,520
Austrian Lotto 6/45 1 in 8,415,060
Monday/Wednesday Lotto 6/45 1 in 8,145,060
Irish Lotto 6/47 1 in 10,737,573

You Can Win the Lottery With Any Pattern

While the confirmation that your choice of numbers does not have an influence on your luck can be a disappointment to many, there is a bright side. Basically, it does not matter if you play with the randomly generated numbers or your favorite numbers, so you can just spare your precious time.

Of course, there are two other assumptions we must make at this point. First, we are talking about the mathematical conclusion on lottery luck, and that should not mean an absolute truth to those who believe in numerology or horoscope lucky numbers, for example.

Also, there are sequences and combinations that can be a bad choice. Yes, they are as good at matching the drawn numbers as any other, but they offer a bigger risk of matching the same numbers of other people. In other words, you would have to share your prize.

Understand Your Probability

Your probability can be inferred from your odds, but they are not exact synonyms. In order to make it easy to understand, take a look at your probability with different numbers of tickets for any 6/49 lottery:

Tickets Your Probability of Winning
0 0
1 0.000000071511238
2 0.000000143022476
5 0,000000357556192
10 0,000000715112384
50 0,000003575561921
100 0,000007151123842

Therefore, with 100 tickets, your probability would be 0,0007% in terms of winning the jackpot. When we talk about odds, it is the general chance of winning, while probabilities are better adjusted with percentages.

Math in Lottery: Expected Value

If you have had any type of financial education, the term “expected value” is familiar to you. Even if it does not ring a bell, you will see how easily it can be understood.

The Expected Value calculates if the odds and prizes of a certain lottery game at a specific jackpot level are truly worthy of your investment. Let’s use Euromillions as an example:

Euromillions Expected Value at €230 Million Jackpot

Match Prize R (Prize – Ticket Cost) Probability R x Probability
5 + 2 Lucky Stars €230,000,000 €229,999,997.50 0,00000000715112 €1.64
5 + 1 Lucky Star €303,798 €303,795.50 0,00000014302247 €0.04
5 €31,448 €31,445.50 0,00000032180053 €0.01
4 + 2 Lucky Stars €3,076 €3,073.50 0,00000160900269 €0.004
4 + 1 Lucky Star €164 €161.50 0,00003218020917 €0.005
3 + 2 Lucky Stars €104 €101.50 0,00007079646017 €0.007
4 €58 €55.50 0,00007240605314 €0.004
2 + 2 Lucky Stars €19 €16.50 0,00101522842639 €0.016
3 + 1 Lucky Star €14 €11.50 0,00141643059490 €0.016
3 €12 €9.50 0,00318471337579 €0.03
1 + 2 Lucky Stars €10 €7.50 0,00531914893617 €0.039
2 + 1 Lucky Star €8 €5.50 0,02040816326530 €0.112
2 €4 €1.50 0,04545454545454 €0.06
Nothing €0 – (€2.00) 0,92302430624762 – (€1.84)
Expected Value €0.143

In other words, the expected value indicates that playing Euromillions at a record jackpot of €230 Million is worth the try. Meanwhile, if you apply it to a lottery with a jackpot that has not rolled over, you will most probably find a negative expected value.

Of course, that does not mean you need to wait for big jackpots to play. The expected value is simply another way of deciding when it is worth it to play with more tickets. Keeping yourself away from drawings might make you lose an opportunity of winning, so it is all about balance.

Also, if we were to be realistic, a lot of the prize is taken due to lottery taxes. If we consider that removed tax percentage, the Expected Value will not remain positive. Therefore, it might prove to be just a waste of time to do all that calculation to simply relate probability and the jackpot amount.

What Does Math Say About Lottery Theories?

Before introducing the mathematical point of view on popular lottery strategies, it is important to highlight the “mathematical” part. The belief that statistically adjusted combinations improve the odds of winning is not based on math but rather on a strong faith in patterns. Therefore, decide first what matters the most for your lottery tickets.

Odd and Even Numbers

Balancing odd and even numbers is a common attempt to improve the odds of winning. While the reason behind that has some logic, it has no mathematical influence on your chances. Still, you may believe that a balance of odd and even numbers can positively affect your odds due to other reasons that do not involve math.

Now, let’s understand why people usually think that using odd and even numbers is a better strategy. Once again, taking the common 6/49 format, check out the possible arrangements with more or fewer odds and even numbers:

Odd-Even Pattern Possible Combinations Example
Odd: 6 | Even: 0 177,100 01 – 03 – 07 – 15 – 19 – 39
Odd: 5 | Even: 1 1,275,120 05 – 21 – 22 – 31 – 43 – 45
Odd: 4 | Even: 2 3,491,400 02 – 06 – 33 – 35 – 39 – 41
Odd: 3 | Even: 3 4,655,200 01 – 02 – 30 – 31 – 33 – 40
Odd: 2 | Even: 4 3,187,800 06 – 08 – 12 – 18 – 47 – 49
Odd: 1 | Even: 5 1,062,600 21 – 30 – 32 – 40 – 42 – 46
Odd: 0 | Even: 6 134,596 04 – 12 – 16 – 24 – 38 – 40

Those seven groups include all the possible combinations in a 6/49 game. If we apply the knowledge on how to understand probability provided above, we reach the following results:

Odd-Even Pattern Probability Percentage
Odd: 6 | Even: 0 0.012664640324215 1.26%
Odd: 5 | Even: 1 0.091185410334347 9.11%
Odd: 4 | Even: 2 0.24967433782023 24.96%
Odd: 3 | Even: 3 0.33289911709365 33.28%
Odd: 2 | Even: 4 0.22796352583587 22.79%
Odd: 1 | Even: 5 0.075987841945289 7.59%
Odd: 0 | Even: 6 0.0096251266464032 0.96%

While we can conclude that the probability of balanced combinations is bigger, that has absolutely zero influence on your odds. If you play 6 even and 0 odd numbers, you would still have the same chance of anyone with the same number of tickets playing with 3 even and 3 odd numbers.

The likelihood of the entire group of odd and even numbers appearing in the single result of a jackpot draw has nothing to do with your odds of winning. That is a common misconception, but since your sequence also has no power to decrease your chances of winning, it is not a problem.

That also applies to high and low numbers, also a target of the same misunderstanding that the higher probability due to the number of combinations would result in better chances of winning with one of them.

Hot and Cold Numbers

In terms of the hot and cold numbers theory, there is absolutely no math involved. Again, it is all about believing that patterns are somehow possible and real in lottery games, and that is not supported by math. Still, that does not mean an absolute truth, and that belief may be right considering other dimensions that are not purely logical.

Therefore, when you decide to explore the coldest numbers or insist on the hottest numbers, you are using statistics to arbitrarily choose your numbers, but that is about it.

Math Tips to Win the Lottery

  • The right lotteries – You may choose to play really hard games like SuperEnalotto and still win, but that is not the best approach. With the same cost, there are games with great prizes and better odds, and those are worth looking for.
  • Check probabilities – Now that you know how to shape the probability in percentages from the odds, that could be a better way to visualize your real chances.
  • The best combinations – Forget about the composition of the number combinations. They are all equal. Now, avoid really common sequences and numbers at all costs, or else you might end up sharing your prize with thousands of people.
  • More tickets – Prefer to play with more tickets to cover more combinations at once rather than only one or just a few tickets in every possible drawing.
  • Control your expenditure – Math involves financial control, and, no matter how much you want to win the lottery, make sure to only play with the money that you can spend.
  • Quick picks – Since every combination has the same odds of winning, use the quick or easy picks of the online lottery sites to save your precious time when you prefer.
  • Statistics are a distraction – From the mathematical point of view only, spending hours analyzing lottery results cannot help you in any way when it comes to winning any prize in the lottery.
  • Keep trying – You can only win the lottery if you keep playing. The next drawing might be your lucky one, and you will never know if you do not try.
  • Online lottery sites – Prefer to play on tested lottery sites because they expand the variety of lotteries that you can play.

Most Important Mathematical Facts About the Lottery

  • Your combination does not matter and cannot influence your odds of winning the lottery.
  • Statistics have no mathematical value to your lottery tickets.
  • The more combinations you play, the better your odds.
  • Playing a lottery game with better odds is the best way to go.
  • Balancing odd and even or high and low numbers cannot give you better chances.
  • Any lottery game is completely random and cannot be tricked.

FAQs

Does Timing Matter When Trying to Win the Lottery?
No, your timing when playing the lottery has absolutely no influence in how likely your combination is to come out in the drawing. Simply make sure to buy before the sales-stop time!
Can Math Make Me Win the Lottery?
Math can let you understand what your real chances of winning the lottery are, but it is the number of tickets that puts you closer to the prize.
Are Statistics Useful to Preview the Lottery Results?
Statistics cannot help you preview the next lottery results. Every single drawing is completely independent, and there is no way to predict, only to choose a different combination with the same chance as any other.
Can I Purchase All Lottery Tickets to Beat the Odds?
It is logistically impossible to cover all the lottery tickets, even though that would mathematically mean ensuring your prize. Also, profit would only be possible in really huge jackpots.
Can Math Allow Me to Predict the Lottery Numbers?
No, the prediction of lottery numbers is not a science, only a supernatural belief. Therefore, we cannot relate it to math.
Is It Hard to Win the Lottery?
Yes, but it is also the chance to change your life and probably that of your relatives and friends. Therefore, it is up to each person to define if it is worth it.

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