You’ve got your lucky numbers! You’re wearing your lucky team jersey! And man, you’re overdue for a win! Is there really a way you can get closer to a lottery jackpot?

Sorry, Charlie. Lottery drawings are completely random, in a way that no system or lucky T-shirt can outsmart. But that doesn’t mean you can’t strategize, at least up to a point.

As with online slots, some lottery games are designed with better odds than others. And just as with slots—whose return-to-player percentages are posted online, for all to see—it’s simple to find games with odds that are more in your favor. The information is just a click away, on your state’s lottery website. The odds are continually updated, and you can even find out how many winning tickets are available for each game.

If you’re going to bet your hard-earned money to play, why not do a little extra sleuthing to make it pay? While no one is guaranteed a win, here are a few tips that can increase your odds of winning.

Register for an online account at MichiganLottery.com, and get 20 free games of Instant Football Payout, one of the state’s most popular online games!

1. Play less popular games. With fewer people playing, your odds will automatically be higher.
2. Play scratch-offs. They usually offer modest prizes but have higher chances of winning overall.
3. Don’t play the numbers of your birthday, your anniversary, or some other significant date. Everybody does it, which means a bigger pool of players choosing calendar numbers (from 1 to 31). And if that type of number wins, you’ll likely have to split the prize with more players. By selecting higher numbers, you automatically boost the odds for a bigger win.
4. Join a lottery pool—or start one, along with friends or co-workers. It makes sense. If you spend $10 at $2 per game, you’ve got five chances to win. If you throw that Alexander Hamilton into a pool of 100 people, you’ve got 500 chances! Your stake is lower, and your take may also be lower, but your odds just increased a hundredfold.
5. Take a second chance! Many lotteries, including those in Michigan and Pennsylvania, offer second-chance drawings on non-winning tickets, along with special games, giveaways and promotions.
6. Choose your own numbers. Disclaimer: this advice from the late Richard Lustig, author of Learn How to Increase Your Chances of Winning the Lottery, has been repeatedly debunked, as Quick Pick numbers have often won. But for the record, Lustig said those computer-generated numbers reduce your odds to “their worst.” The Florida native must have known something the others don’t. He started his lucky streak by winning $10,000 in a scratch-off game, then won a trip valued at $5,000 in a second-chance drawing. He went on to bank more than $842,000 in a Florida Mega Money lottery jackpot, and incredibly, won two more big jackpots: $73,000 and $99,000, for a total of about $1 million. Lustig also advised players to play the same numbers again and again, and stop playing those numbers if they win, as winning numbers seldom repeat.

Remember, Powerball and MegaMillions are national lotteries, with fixed odds of winning. When those jackpot totals start to climb, millions of people start to play, and your odds of winning drop accordingly. But those big, life-changing wins do happen, to people just like you. Players have won a combined total of more than $9 million on the Michigan Lottery’s Super Cash Buster since its launch in 2017! Play today for your chance to win up to $200,000 instantly.

As always, when you stay comfortably and responsibly within your budget, playing the lottery is a lot more fun.

Fast Play Coupon Promotions

The Pennsylvania iLottery is getting into the football season with this exciting Eagles and Steelers football promotion. Play $25 on the Eagles Online game or Steelers Online game, and get a free $5 Fast-Play Game ticket via email or SMS, to redeem at any PA iLottery Retailer.

Eagles & Steelers Fast Play Coupon Promotion
Starts: 12:00 a.m. EST on Thursday, October 1, 2020
Ends: 11:59 p.m. EST on Wednesday, October 28, 2020

The PA iLottery will send your coupons via email or text. They require that you have agreed to receive email and/or SMS communications from PA iLottery.  In order to change your preferences, please follow the instructions here.

Structure (4 Weeks):

Entries Open	Entries Close	Coupon Delivered by
Thursday, October 1 12:00 a.m.	Wednesday, October 7 11:59 p.m.	Tuesday, October 13
Thursday, October 8 12:00 a.m.	Wednesday, October 14 11:59 p.m.	Tuesday, October 20
Thursday, October 15 12:00 a.m.	Wednesday, October 21 11:59 p.m.	Tuesday, October 27
Thursday, October 22 12:00 a.m.	Wednesday, October 28 11:59 p.m.	Wednesday, November 4

 

• Play $25 on the Eagles Online game or Steelers online game, and get a free $5 Fast-Play Game ticket via Email or SMS.
• You must Opt In to Special Offers Emails and/or texts in order to receive the coupon.
• Coupons will be sent at the end of the promotion.

To get coupons or for information visit the links below:
Eagles Fast Play Coupon Promotion
Steelers Fast Play Coupon Promotion

Hey, Pennsylvania! Sign up to play online at PALottery.com, and you’ll get a 100% deposit match up to $500! The Pennsylvania Lottery will also get you started with $5 in free play.

New Game in Town

The Michigan Lottery just introduced a whole new game, VIP Ultra, part of the popular series that also includes VIP Black, VIP Gold and VIP Platinum.

To get started, go to MichiganLottery.com, choose the game, and press PLAY to automatically reveal your tickets. Each VIP Ultra game features 7 Winning Numbers, a Ruby Reveal Legend, and up to 24 Your Tickets. Players may purchase tickets in sets of 12 or 24. Each of Your Tickets has a number and a prize amount, or a COIN symbol.

Match any of the Winning Numbers to a number on Your Tickets to win the prize shown on that ticket. Reveal 3 COIN symbols in a single game to unlock the Extra Reveals Bonus. Reveal 3 RUBY symbols in the Ruby Reveal Legend to receive new numbers on Your Tickets marked with a RUBY symbol.

In the Extra Reveals Bonus, press the Play button to reveal 7 Winning Numbers and 30 Your Tickets. Match any the Winning Numbers to a number on Your Tickets to win the prize shown on that ticket. Reveal a COIN symbol to win all prizes show in the indicated row, column, or both row and column. After 7 reveals, collect your winnings and exit the bonus.

Tickets may be purchased for $0.05, $0.10, $0.25, $0.50, $1.00, or $2.00 in sets of 12 or 24 tickets for a top prize of $20,000!