Sorry, But Your Strategy For Mega Millions $500M Jackpot Won’t Pay
Do you have a strategy that you think will help you take home the big win in Mega Millions whopping $500 million lottery? Is it some kind of complex algorithm or mathematic formula aimed at bettering your chances at nabbing the jackpot? Well, reality check, it’s not going to help. There’s actually nothing you can do to improve your odds according to mathematicians. If you’re employing a strategy, you’re probably still going to lose. Your chances are still about one in 176 million.
The Mega Millions Jackpot is hosting its highest lottery ever, and it’s got a lot of people (hey, myself included) dreaming. Chances are slim, like I said, but that doesn’t stop people trying to better their odds. People all over claim that they have strategies and sure-win plots to take home the Mega Millions gold. But it’s just not so. Here’s why according to people a lot smarter than me.
The pool of numbers never changes. The first five winning balls come from a set that runs from 1 to 56. The last ball can be any number from 1 to 46. Because of this, “your chances of winning the jackpot with Mega Millions will always be the same,” says one gaming mathematician, who has not purchased a ticket in 25 years. “It doesn’t matter what numbers you pick or the jackpot size.” In perspective? The odds of getting struck by lightning are about one in 280,000, according to the National Lightning Safety Institute. As an average bloke, you have to get struck by lightning 500 times before you win yourself one Mega Millions jackpot.
One programmer created a website that tracks the numbers that have been drawn and claims that some numbers definitely pop up more than others. Though this sounds a lot like probability, it’s really still just chance, and even he admits it: “However, that said, I do joke that if that kind of analysis truly did produce a winning result, I would be a millionaire by now. The fact that I have a day job shows there’s no predicting the lottery.”
If you’re still feeling lucky and you’re dead-set on playing Mega Millions tomorrow for that $500 million purse? Well then here’s a free tip: avoid picking the same numbers other people choose. Take random numbers instead of your own lucky (but never-winning) numbers. Most people pick dates, and thus are more likely to have to share the winnings.
Sorry for being so harsh, but it’s just that I care about you and don’t want you wasting your precious time and energy on no-win scenarios. Or rather, one in 176 million chance-to-win scenarios.
If you do happen to be one in 176 million that does win the Mega Millions jackpot tomorrow, please feel free to fill the comments section with “I TOLD YOU SO!” I will gracefully concede defeat.
