Lotteries can be hard or extra hard if you do not learn to recognize those with virtually impossible odds. Of course, someone always wins, but you have better chances of winning if you pick the lotteries that offer better odds. The odds represent your probability of getting a specific prize, including the jackpot, which is our focus here.
For you to start playing lotteries that are not more difficult than they should be, count on this guide. You will find the easiest odds for main and secondary prizes, as well as information on improving your odds and figuring out the best lottery odds by yourself.
Quick Jump
What Are the Lotteries That Offer the Best Odds?
In order to present which lotteries offer better odds, we should differentiate the jackpot odds from those of other prize tiers. After all, depending on the main prize, the overall odds can be easy, while the jackpot is a really tough challenge.
If you want, you may read our guide on the real odds of winning the lottery as an introduction to how those numbers are defined.
Top 10 Lotteries That Offer Better Odds for All Prizes
When we consider all the prizes that are offered in a lottery game, we should use the concept of “overall” or “general” odds. They are the odds of winning any prize in the game and are highly influenced by the minimal odds of the smallest prizes. Check out some good examples of the top 10 lotteries that offer better overall odds in the table below:
| Lottery | Odds |
|---|---|
| French Lotto | 1 in 5.99 |
| Vikinglotto | 1 in 6 |
| Lotto 6/49 | 1 in 6.6 |
| Cash4Life | 1 in 7.76 |
| Lucky for Life | 1 in 7.77 |
| UK Lotto | 1 in 9.3 |
| Lotto America | 1 in 9.63 |
| Mexico Melate | 1 in 10 |
| Austria Lotto | 1 in 12 |
| Euromillions | 1 in 13 |
In general, games with really easy odds for minimal prizes and many prize tiers tend to have good overall odds. It is also possible to have better overall odds as a result of small prizes, which makes it important to consider the whole.
Lotteries That Offer Better Odds for the Jackpot
While the low overall odds are tempting, not every player would be content with secondary prizes. After all, regardless of how low the general odds are, the odds of winning the jackpot remain the same. For example, Euromillions has general odds of 1 in 13, which is still great, but you need to beat odds of 1 in 139,838,160 to win the main prize.
Therefore, let’s take a look at lotteries with the best odds for jackpots:
| Lottery | Jackpot Odds |
|---|---|
| Poland Mini Lotto | 1 in 850,668 |
| Swedish Lotto | 1 in 6,724,520 |
| Austria Lotto | 1 in 8,145,060 |
| Monday/Wednesday Lotto | 1 in 8,145,060 |
| Ireland Lotto | 1 in 10,737,573 |
| Poland Lotto | 1 in 13,983,816 |
| France Lotto | 1 in 19,068,840 |
| South Africa Lotto | 1 in 20,358,520 |
| Brazil Quina | 1 in 24,040,016 |
Therefore, the lottery games with the best overall odds are not necessarily among those with the best jackpot odds, except for the French and the Austrian lotteries. While it may be a good combination to have reasonable odds on both sides, keep in mind that the jackpot varies from one game to another.
For example, the odds of winning Powerball are really problematic, but that does not mean that the game Powerball is a bad choice to play. On the contrary, its starting jackpot is much bigger than the prizes of most of the aforementioned lotteries. It is an eternal risk-profit trade-off, with a few exceptions of games that could be easier.
Are Lower Odds Always the Best Choice?
Following the conclusion from the last topic, it is clear that having better odds of winning does not necessarily reflect the best choice. After all, it depends on what level of prize you are looking for and your possibilities when it comes to playing lotteries. At least, the second consideration is solved in most cases, as you can play all the games on online lottery sites.
If you want really big and multi-millionaire prizes, know that you will face odds of 1 in hundreds of millions, as seen on Mega Millions, Powerball, and Euromillions, for example. Decide what you are going for, and you will shorten your possibilities down to the best possible games.
How to Know If a Lottery Offers Better Odds?
In general, you can simply check out our lottery results page, where you will find information on virtually every game found in the world, both online or exclusively locally. Otherwise, if you want to at least know how to verify the lottery odds, in case you ever find it necessary, there is a formula for it.
You may read our guide on how to win the lottery using math, where you have the explanation of the following odds formula:
It is pretty straightforward if you simply replace the “n” and “r” variants with the corresponding numbers. Then, you may compare the results with other lottery odds to figure out the best ones among your favorites.
How to Improve Your Odds in Lotteries That Are Already Easy?
There are free lottery tools to improve your odds of winning, but they are also based on beliefs that are not proven through math or logic. If you want to truly improve your odds, regardless of how beneficial they might already be, you have two verifiable manners to do so:
- Cover more tickets – Although you cannot buy every ticket combination to guarantee profits in the lottery, it is possible to improve your odds a lot with more tickets. The best way to save and still improve your odds is to participate in the best online lottery syndicates.
- Discounts – If you spend less, there is more money left to buy lottery tickets. Therefore, it is a great idea to enjoy promotions, discounts, and bonuses on the lottery sites that we recommend.
Does It Make Sense to Play Lotteries That Offer Better Odds?
It is perfectly natural to look for lotteries that offer better odds because the chances that you will become a winner are bigger. After all, the ultimate goal of playing any lottery is to win, and reducing the odds is the only proven way to lead to it. Still, do not let that prevent you from playing games with difficult odds and great prizes, as those are the ones that usually change our lives.
