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Step 1
Check the odds! Do you really want to be playing for a prize that's already been claimed? Most state lottery websites have a section where you can see who has claimed the top prizes for each game. Check the lottery website for your state before playing.
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Step 2
Consider what you're paying to what the payout is. Is it worth buying five $1 tickets, when the top prize is $1000? If you won, sure, but weigh the odds of winning against what it's costing you every time. It may make more sense to buy a $20 once a month than $1 ticket every day. Odds can typically be found on the back of the ticket or on your state lottery's website.
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Step 3
Avoid buying holiday-themed tickets too far from the holiday they're representing. Chances are they're bought up as gifts during that holiday, bringing the odds down.
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Step 4
In the case of lottery tickets, advertising makes a difference to both you and the seller. The prizes for highly promoted tickets are usually higher and there are typically more of them.
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Step 5
Have fun with it. If your main concern in buying tickets is winning even minor prizes, you may want to consider not buying them and avoiding gambling altogether. Lottery scratch offs should be an occasional novelty you buy for fun.
Comments
mark1967 said
on 1/7/2009 Great article.