There is a lot of buzz currently in the United States about the growing prize money in the Mega Millions lottery. This got me thinking about ways to improve the fun of playing the lottery. There are also simple techniques that mathematically improve your chances. Of course, the odds are still very, very long but to quote perhaps the most famous space scoundrel of all time "Never tell me the odds"
1. Games with progressive jackpots can eventually become a positive outcome game.
For example, the odds of winning the jackpot on Mega Millions has been calculated to be approx. 303 million to one. And the price of the basic ticket is $2 per game. That means that anytime the jackpot is above roughly $606 million then it makes sense to play because the payout is equal or greater to the win expectation. Of course, this is assuming that the published amount is actually the amount pocketed by a single winner. And we know that is not true because we are not taking taxes, fees, automatic deductions, etc. into account. The actual jackpot prize amount to give us a fair expectation of return is much higher. But fear not. There are a few other simple things you can do to not only increase the odds of winning but to have fun with your $2.
