Yeah, it’s a longshot.
But according to Math Professor Tim Chartier, there are some small actions that tip those long odds (slightly) in your favor.
How unlikely is it to win a lottery like Mega Millions or Powerball?
One way to visualize it: It’s equivalent to flipping heads on a coin 28 times in a row.
Another way to think about it: This is akin to my looking back at the past nine years, picking one second, and then asking you to guess which second I chose. The odds that you’ll get it right are incredibly long.
Does buying more tickets increase your odds?
Yes. If you buy five tickets with different numbers, you are five times more likely to win than buying just one. But, keep in mind, this is like saying you need to flip heads 28 straight times. Try it. In fact, try it five times. Try it 100 times. You are amazingly unlikely to get it any single time. So, the odds are more likely but still very unlikely.
Here is an app that lets you simulate flipping a coin 28 times. (Note, you need to select ‘Number’ to be 28.). You could do this yourself with 28 coins–toss them and see!
You are almost 300 times more likely to get hit by lightning in your lifetime than win Mega Millions. If you bought 300 tickets, only then would you have the same chances as getting hit by lightning in your lifetime.
Why don’t lotteries like Mega Millions and Powerball produce winners more frequently?
We will get a winner at some point, which is the exciting part. But, there is some math behind the growing jackpot.
First, people can pick numbers–and they tend to pick numbers from a similar range. People frequently pick birthdays and ages, which makes lower numbers more common.
Second, while someone will win, it simply can take time given how unlikely it is. The odds are made high enough to make the game compelling and get winners JUST enough that we have hope in the improbable and, frankly, it makes it fun.
When the jackpot is this high what should we think about?
Any time you play a lottery like Mega Millions or Powerball, the odds of winning stay the same. But, there are ways that you can make it more probable that you win ALL the money.
In particular, pick random numbers. If you pick your favorite number or the day of your birthday like the 7th, which is the day of the next drawing, many people can be doing the same and that puts a lot of numbers between 1 and 31. Picking your own numbers doesn’t change the odds of winning. But, picking random numbers does increase the odds that if you win, no one else wins.
Should we stay away from numbers that were in the last drawing?
The balls are random so there is a very slim chance that a number will repeat–in the neighborhood of 3 or 4%. But, don’t forget: You have the same chance that any other ball is chosen, too.
FAQs
Experts suggest that you should add up the five numbers you pick and try to stay within a target range. The preferred range is between 140 and 240 after your five number are added together. More than half of the winning number combinations fall in that range.
How to strategically pick lottery numbers? ›
The key to this strategy is simple. Review the past several draws, make note of those numbers, and pick different ones! Also, vary the numbers chosen by not selecting two numbers within the same group or not selecting those that end with the same digit.
Is there a formula to win Powerball? ›
There is no wrong way to choose Powerball numbers. There's also no magic formula to pick the winning numbers.
Is there a strategy to picking Powerball numbers? ›
Evenly distribute the numbers among odds and evens
Some Powerball veterans say that because there are an equal number of odd and even numbers for each possible pick in a Powerball string, it follows that the winning combination will tend to comprise an equal number of odd and even numbers.
What are the 6 most common winning lottery numbers? ›
The most frequently drawn winning numbers from the main barrel are 17, 7, 11, 2, 3 and 9, while the least frequently drawn are 33, 15, 34, 31, 26 and 1. The most frequently drawn Powerball numbers are 19 and 2, while the least frequently drawn Powerball numbers are 14 and 16.
How to win Powerball guaranteed? ›
Guaranteeing a Powerball jackpot win is theoretically possible, but it's basically impossible to pull off in practice. Securing a smaller Powerball win is more realistic, but you'll probably still lose more than you gain. Investing is a surer way to grow your wealth over time.
Is there a mathematical way to win the lottery? ›
There is only one known way to ensure winning the jackpot. That is to buy at least one lottery ticket for every possible number combination. For example, one has to buy 13,983,816 different tickets to ensure to win the jackpot in a 6/49 game.
How to predict the Powerball winning numbers? ›
No, there is no reliable way to predict the next winning numbers in a lottery draw. Lotteries are designed to be games of random chance where each number combination has an equal probability of being drawn.
What is the smartest way to play Powerball? ›
“The only way to really increase the odds of winning any lottery is to buy more tickets. The more tickets you buy, the more chances you have to win,” Kapoor said.
Who won the lottery 14 times? ›
In the 1990s, Stefan Mandel won the lottery. Over and over and over again. James is a published author with four pop-history and science books to his name. He specializes in history, strange science, and anything out of the ordinary.
"There is a common misconception that the odds of winning differ depending on whether you choose your own numbers or go for a Quick Pick," Powerball.net reports. "That is not true; your chances of winning are exactly the same in both cases."
How do you win the Powerball odds? ›
The chance of correctly choosing the Powerball is simply 1 in 26. figures together: 1 11,238,513 ∗ 1 26 = 1 292,201,338 or 1 chance in 292,201,338. Step 1: The chance of getting 5 numbers correct out of 5 numbers drawn from 69 unique numbers is 1 in 11,238,513 (see #1, Step 1 above.)
What are the 5 most common Powerball numbers? ›
According to USA Mega, which collects data since October 2015, the five most popular numbers are 61, 32, 21, 63, and 36. The most popular Powerball number is 18. Here are the least popular numbers for those contrarians in the crowd: 13, 34, 49, 29, and 26. The least popular Powerball number is 15.
Does buying more Powerball tickets increase your odds? ›
Does buying more tickets increase your odds? Yes. If you buy five tickets with different numbers, you are five times more likely to win than buying just one. But, keep in mind, this is like saying you need to flip heads 28 straight times.
