lottery tickets are usually reasonably priced, with some lottery draws generating jackpots of up to a billion. The dream of riches lures many seekers of easy money, so lottery tickets are bought by the tens of thousands, with several million people trying to win a lottery each week. But what is the mathematical chance of not only winning, but also staying in the black?
Progress is not standing still in this area either. Whereas in the past any stop was accompanied by a mini-stall that sold tickets for the country’s most famous lotteries, and newsagents could buy not only magazines but also the cherished coupons, now the market has moved to online mode. Yes, paper tickets are still available and popular, but the younger generation has begun to turn to the internet far more often.
Tickets are sold before the big draw date. After that, the next pool is drawn. All sorts of checks are carried out at the same time by selected players, who have to make sure that the lottery is not a scam.
Such players check anything that may lead them into doubt – the integrity of the balls or barrels and the machine itself which randomly selects the items. Once participants are satisfied that the lottery is honest, the draw is held. At this point it is impossible to manipulate the numbers of the balls drawn – everything is done as transparently as possible. The lottery machine is a default compressor with air, which mixes the balls and releases them at random.
As you may have seen earlier, the lottery process itself is extremely transparent. It is controlled not only by the authorities, but also by random people who check literally everything related to the lottery. It turns out that there can be no manipulation and the lottery ticket may indeed turn out to be a winning one. But what are the chances of winning a lottery ticket with a jackpot of, say, 100 million?
With a minimum of probability you know at least one person who has managed to win at least a five-figure sum in the lottery. Chances are, you don’t know anyone like that, and neither do anyone you know. But lottery tickets are still being bought in droves, and sales can reach seven hundred million a year.
1:400,000 is the chance of winning the Gosloto lottery where you have to guess five out of 36 numbers. To stand a maximum chance of winning, a player needs to buy just under 2,500 tickets, worth 200,000 roubles. Even so, the probability of winning would not reach 50 per cent. The winnings themselves would be able to cover the costs, but would not bring the player in the big plus. Finishes the strategy law – 35 per cent of each win the player is obliged to pay to the State. It turns out that at costs of 200 thousand rubles, the participant receives about 170-180.
Of course, you can make your own calculations, which will lead you to victory. But strategies for winning the lottery have been worked out for years, and the percentage that it is you who will succeed in deriving a winning theory is minimal.