What’s the secret to winning the jackpot? An NC Education Lottery official weighs in
Millions of Americans play the lottery each year and as jackpots rise, their chances of winning slim down. But every now and again, a few lucky people will beat the odds.
One of those people beat odds of 1 in 11.6 million on Sunday and won a $1 million prize after purchasing a $2 lottery ticket at a Harris Teeter in Charlotte, The Charlotte Observer reported.
The winnings will undoubtedly change the life of the ticket holder and inspire others in Charlotte to take a shot at the next Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot.
Players will naturally wonder if there are ways to increase their chances of winning.
One North Carolina Education Lottery official claims there is.
Here are a few ways you can optimize your chances of winning the lottery in North Carolina, according to Van Denton, director of communications at the North Carolina Education Lottery.
Understand the odds
In 2016, the Observer investigated the possibility of players gaming the system to become repeat winners, some of whom had beaten odds of up to 1 in 1 trillion. Lottery officials chalked it up to pure luck and found that every payout was for a genuine win.
According to Denton, there is no mathematical formula for players to follow that can score winning numbers, but that shouldn’t stop them from playing.
“It’s all luck. It’s all random. But someone will eventually win both those jackpots,” Denton said. “Just like whoever bought that Powerball ticket from the Harris Teeter on South Tryon Street in Charlotte won $1 million even facing odds of 1 in 11.6 million.”
Denton also said that players in Charlotte have the same chance of winning as players in New York or California. Where you play will not directly affect your chances of winning.
The odds of winning Monday’s Powerball jackpot of $89 million were 1 in 292 million while the odds of winning Tuesday’s Mega Millions jackpot of $530 million are 1 in 302 million.
Learn the game
If you understand how the lottery works, you can potentially increase your prize if you happen to hold a winning ticket, said Denton.
“If you want to increase the size of your prize if you do win, consider buying a $3 Power Play ticket or a $3 Megaplier ticket,” Denton said. “For example, if the person who won in Charlotte on Saturday night had purchased a $3 Power Play ticket, the prize would have doubled to $2 million.”
Maximize your potential winnings
According to Denton, many people play the lottery for the first time once jackpots start rising to attention-grabbing amounts. What most people don’t know is that you don’t need to have all the matching numbers to win a prize.
“(Powerball and Mega Millions) offer nine ways to win. You don’t have to match all numbers to win a prize that might make your day, your week, or your year,” Denton said. “So far this year, 12 tickets sold in North Carolina have won Powerball prizes ranging from $100,000 to $2 million.”
Play for fun
Since winning lottery numbers are chosen at random, there’s no one strategy that will guarantee you’ll win the jackpot. The odds are tough to beat. That’s why Denton suggests that players devote more focus to playing for fun rather than obsessing over winning.
“Play smart. Play for fun. Play for a good cause like helping education in North Carolina,” Denton said. “If you feel lucky, buy a ticket and dream about how you would change your life if you won. It only takes one ticket to win.”
This story was originally published July 19, 2022 at 1:28 PM.
