I’m a lottery expert – four strategies to increase your odds of winning and beat odds of up to 1 in a trillion

MILLIONS of Americans try their luck at state and national lotteries every day – but not everyone ends up as a winner.

With so many games, aided by a surge in online lottery betting, jackpots are increasing, but that means the odds of winning are getting smaller – by as much as a TRILLION to one.

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However, what if instead of relying entirely on Lady Luck, you could increase your chances of making it big in the next game?

A lottery expert has revealed how you can increase your chances of getting rich — and it’s all about not wasting your money on certain tickets.

Meanwhile, North Carolina Education Lottery communications director Van Denton shared his tips with the Charlotte Observer.

We’ve rounded them up below.

1. Know the odds

There is no mathematical formula (known) to tip the odds in your favor, but knowing the probability of winning can be useful.

“It’s all luck. It’s all random. But someone’s going to win eventually,” Denton said.

He went on to say that where you play does not increase or decrease your odds of winning national lotteries like Mega Millions or Powerball.

Indeed, in 2016, The Observer explored the possibility of playing the lottery system to become repeat winners, “some of whom had hit odds as high as one in 1 trillion.”

Lottery officials concluded that the winnings were real and not due to any formula.

2. Complete the game

Mr. Denton pointed out that by understanding how the lottery works, you may be able to increase your prize winnings while playing.

“If you’re looking to increase the size of your prize if you win, consider buying a $3 Power Play ticket or a $3 Megaplier ticket,” he told the outlet.

Most states offer a Megaplier feature to increase non-jackpot prizes by up to 5x, and it costs an additional $1 per game per Mega Million rules.

The Megaplier is drawn prior to each Tuesday and Friday night Mega Millions draw.

Out of a pool of 15 balls, five are marked 2X, six are marked 3X, three are marked 4X and one is marked 5X.

Depending on what combination of winning numbers you have, you could end up earning a lot more than buying a regular price ticket.

Power Play works in a similar way. By paying an additional $1 per ticket, the feature can multiply non-jackpot prizes up to 10x.

The multiplier number is randomly selected just before each draw.

3. Know when to gamble

Mr. Denton said many Americans will only play when they hear about a really big jackpot, as was the case with the recent $1.34 billion payout to a winner in Illinois.

That was the second largest Mega Millions payout for a single prize ticket in US history, after $1.54 billion for a ticket sold in South Carolina in 2018.

Mr. Denton said most people don’t realize that you don’t have to match every number to win some money at Powerball and Mega Millions.

He added that there are nine ways to win – whether it’s a small amount or something that could be life-changing.

4. Play for fun

Last but not least, don’t obsess over winning or try to come up with a winning formula.

You may end up spending more than you want or can afford with little return.

Mr Denton added: “If you’re lucky, buy a ticket and dream about how your life would change if you won. It only takes one ticket to win.”

Here’s how a Florida couple finally made it big and won a multimillion-dollar fortune after playing the same numbers for three decades without success.

Also, find out what not to do when trying to win the lottery.