What are good strategies to increase your chances of winning the lottery?

If people knew more about math, most of them would not play in my opinion. Just a week ago or so, some guy in Italy got a 25,000 euro credit to play the lottery because the Italian jackpot was almost 150 million euros. Now what are the odds of getting the right 6 numbers out of 90?

There’s plenty of bullshit about lotteries on the web and too many people believe in it, because when they were in school they thought math was uncool. Here’s a hilarious example:

“Luck is a major factor in any lottery game. But as a smart player, you know that it’s wise not to leave everything to luck. Various strategies are available for those who are passionate about winning the jackpot prize. If you are playing the Italy 6/90 or Italy Super Enalotto, you can choose from a lot of resources available online to boost your chances of winning (...).

Here are some useful tips that can help you improve your chances of winning the Italy 6/90 lotto. First, try to choose a balanced combination of odd and even numbers. It is very rare that winning numbers consist of all even or all odd numbers. In fact, it happens on only four percent of the time. For best results, you can choose one of the following combinations: three odd and three even numbers (3/3), four odd and two even numbers (4/2), and two odd and four even numbers (2/4). When you use a balanced mix of odd and even numbers, chances are you’ll get the desired results in the Italian lotto drawings.”

http://ezinearticles.com/?Free-Italy-6-90-Strategy-Tips&id=2151388

A balanced mix? Excuse me?

By the way, the guy lost his 25000 euros. Arrivederci my beloved money! He never liked algebra or calculus or the theory of probabilities.

Do you know good strategies how to increase your chances of winning the lottery?

I only know two for example when picking 6 numbers out of 49 or 90, but I’d be interested in more if they exist. So here are mine:

Second best strategy: Avoid popular combinations, for example related to numbers in birthdays. This doesn’t increase your overall chances, but if you pick the right numbers there will be fewer competitors.

Best strategy: Don’t play and make a safe investment offered by your bank. Let’s say it’s $10 per week. Suppose you get 5% interest long term. After 30 years of ‘not playing’ you win your own personal ‘lottery’ big time. How much? Well, someone will figure it out ;-)