Win More Scratch Offs Without Doing Any Math

Many people who play the lottery rely on luck, superstition, prayer, or some other “sure-fire” method of picking a winning ticket. Some have used their mathematical skills to — at least temporarily — “break the code” on scratch-off lottery tickets.[1] Perhaps not surprisingly, the so-called “luckiest person in the world,” a multiple mega-jackpot scratch-off winner, happens to be a statistician.[2] If you want to win more scratch-offs without relying on math knowledge or supernatural means, though, there are several steps you can take. Remember, however, that scratch-offs exist to make money for the lottery, not you, so the odds will never be in your favor.

Steps

Winning More Often

  1. Play more often. You’ve surely heard people say “You have to play to win,” or “You can’t win if you don’t play,” and of course this is true. If you only care about winning more often, the best way to do so is to play scratch-offs more often.
    • Joan Ginther, the American who won roughly $20 million on mega-jackpot scratch-offs between 1993 and 2010, played a lot, buying thousands upon thousands of tickets. She surely beat the odds in some way or another to win so much money, but buying so many scratch-offs automatically meant she had more winning tickets.[2]
    • So, if you don’t care about losing some money, and simply enjoy the “high” of winning, just keep buying more tickets. If you want to improve your odds of winning, that’s another story.
  2. Play the odds. Not all scratch-offs are created equal. Generally speaking, the larger the potential prize, the lower your odds are of winning it.
    • To put lottery odds in perspective, mega-jackpot lottery tickets based on number draws can have odds like 175 million to one, while a basic scratch-off may have 4:1 odds.[3]
    • You should be able to find the odds for any scratch-off game on the ticket itself, in the fine print of its advertising, or on the lottery website.
    • Scratch-offs with better odds cost less, so you can buy more and win more times, although you’re unlikely to get rich by winning $3 a pop. Focus on the fun of winning, not on making money.
  3. Remove randomness, or at least some of it. Unlike number-draw lottery games, which rely on a random series of numbered ping-pong balls, scratch-offs are not technically random. The lottery fixes the number of winning tickets and then tries to distribute the winners widely.[1]
    • Scratch-offs are sent to retailers in large packs with a roughly-equal number of winners in each pack. Winning tickets, especially in high-prize games, are also usually spread out geographically and over the life of the game.
    • Lotteries usually provide information on their websites regarding where winning tickets have been purchased, at least for scratch-offs with larger prizes. If you see an area within the lottery’s territory where winners seem to be in short supply, you can probably at least slightly improve your odds of winning by buying there.[2]
  4. Buy in batches. Because scratch-offs are not entirely random, and lottery operators usually try to spread out the winners, buying one kind of ticket in bulk can possibly net you more winners than spreading your purchase over several ticket types.[4]
    • Instead of buying one ticket every day, buy seven once a week or even 30 once a month. Since winners are usually spread out through the pack, you are more likely to end up with a winner this way.[3]
  5. Wait out the losers. Since there are a set number of winners and a set number of tickets for sale for most scratch-off games, you can often improve your odds of picking a winning ticket simply by being patient.
    • Say, for instance, that a large-jackpot scratch-off promises three grand prize winners out of 120,000 tickets sold. If you wait until half the tickets have been sold, and know that only one grand prize has been won so far, you have already improved your odds of winning the big jackpot from 1:40,000 to 1:30,000. It might not seem like much, but it is an improvement.[5]
    • On a smaller (and somewhat sadder) level, there is another way to use patience to your advantage. You can hang around the store where the scratch-offs are sold and wait for someone who buys several tickets of the same game, scratches them, and fails to find a winner. Because winners are distributed roughly equally through each ticket pack, your odds of winning if you buy several of the same ticket immediately after are much improved. You may not want to gloat in front of the person who just lost $20, however.[4]

Winning By Not Losing

  1. Play less often. Unless you crack the scratch-off code or are extraordinarily fortunate, the possibility that you will make money playing lottery tickets is remote at best. By playing less often, you lose less often, meaning that when you occasionally do win you are likely closer to breaking even.
    • Cautionary tales abound of people who sink thousands of dollars into buying scratch-offs, hoping to strike it rich, instead of saving or investing that money.[6]
    • If you think of scratch-offs as a fun diversion and assume that the money you spend on tickets will be lost, you will almost certainly end up better off in the end.
  2. Buy fewer tickets. Despite the tips provided in this article, there is only so much you can do to even slightly improve your odds of winning on scratch-offs. Simply buying more tickets won't help very much, and will more than likely just lose you more money.
    • Will buying ten tickets for $10 and getting two, $2 winners be that much less enjoyable than buying fifty tickets and getting ten winners? In one case, you’ve lost $6; in the other, you’ve lost $30. Enjoy the fun of playing in moderation, and you will probably be happier in the end.
  3. Stick to your budget. The lure of a winning ticket can be strong, and can overwhelm even the best of intentions to stick to a scratch-off budget.
    • When you go to buy tickets, try taking only as much cash as you need to buy your predetermined number of scratch-offs.
    • Also, don’t scratch the tickets until you get home, so you won’t be tempted to immediately cash in your winner for more tickets.
  4. Be wise with your winnings. It is tempting to think of any winnings as “found money” that should be folded back into buying more scratch-offs, but this strategy is most likely simply to turn it into “wasted money.”
    • The best idea is probably to never reinvest your winnings in new tickets. Stick to your budget for ticket-buying whether you win or lose.
    • If you can’t help but try to extend the thrill of winning, however, limit yourself to using half of your winnings to buy new tickets. Sock the rest away for another time and another purpose.[3]
  5. Get help if you need it. Playing scratch-offs can be fun, but it can also become an obsession for some people. Lotteries are gambling, and gambling can be an addiction. If you feel like you’ve lost control, or know someone else who has, there many organizations that can help.[7]

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Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://www.wired.com/2011/01/ff_lottery/
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/8698108/How-to-win-the-jackpot-four-times.html
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 http://www.lottery-winning.com/how-to-win-scratch-offs/
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 http://www.theatlantic.com/personal/archive/2011/02/how-i-beat-scratch-off-lottery-tickets/70686/
  5. ↑ http://www.philly.com/philly/news/nation_world/How_lottery_legend_Joan_Ginther_used_odds_Uncle_Sam_to_win_millions.html
  6. ↑ http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2008/08/27/how-to-win-the-lottery/
  7. ↑ http://www.gamblersanonymous.org/ga/

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