How to Cover All Possible Combinations to Increase Chances of Winning the Lottery
Lottery has long been a popular way for governments to raise money. But the odds of winning are slim, and many lottery players end up worse off than when they started. A new formula from Romanian mathematician Stefan Mandel shows how a group of investors can cover all possible combinations to increase their chances of winning.
Despite the glitzy commercials, only about 50 percent of Americans buy lottery tickets. That might seem like everybody plays, but it’s hardly evenly distributed: The player base is disproportionately lower-income, less educated, and nonwhite. And state-sponsored lotteries rely on a small group of super users, who contribute 70 to 80 percent of sales.
There’s also the fact that lottery games are addictive. Those who are addicted may not stop playing even when they know their odds of winning are low, and a large jackpot could ruin their lives. As the HuffPost’s Highline reports, one couple in Michigan spent more than $27 million on lottery tickets over nine years.
Those who avoid gambling addictions may be better off avoiding the lottery altogether, or at least only buying a ticket every once in a while. But for those who do play, it’s worth knowing that they’re putting their chances of wealth in the hands of an irrational system. If you’re considering buying a ticket, try charting the “random” outside numbers on the ticket and looking for ones that appear more than once. That will help you spot patterns that might point to the odds of winning.