Mathematician explains how to boost your odds of winning the lotto, and the luckiest numbers

 Mathematician explains how you can increase your chances to win the lotto, as well as the luckiest numbers.

But what is the chance of you winning such a large jackpot? Is it worth the effort?

With another $20 million available for grabs on Thursday, we are multiplying your chance of winning with a little help of mathematics.

Simon Pampena, mathematician and mathematician said "It's all in the number combinations."

"If there are 45 balls in a game, and you make a selection of six of them, you must work out the combinations of six that you can make with the 45.

It turns out to be 8,145,000. The odds of you winning with your combination are 1 in 8,145,060.

Winners and outliers

Everyone loves an outsider and everyone loves winners.

"In reality, the way it works in practice is that many people need to purchase into that dream of winning - then someone wins a huge jackpot. It works this way.

Lucky numbers

The luckiest numbers to appear on Tatts Lotto in the last 35-years have been 1, 7, 8, 11 22, and 40.

Each system has 45 balls. If every ball has the same chance of appearing, then each ball will have appeared 10 times in over 450 games.

These balls have been seen 11 times, which means they appear one additional time during 450 games.

Pampena stated that "we are all natural mathematicians, so we're geared towards seeing patterns."

"So when seven are seen, and we compare it to our cultural understandings of seven, we believe there must be more."

Increasing your odds

It's very difficult to choose the right numbers for the division one prize. But, if you do win, it is possible to increase your chances to take the whole lot.

Most people will pick random numbers like 2, 9, 12, 25, 33 or 35 and 40 thinking that they're random.

However, few people will be able to put together consecutive numbers such as 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 and 32.

Because consecutive numbers are less random, but that combination is just as likely.

To increase your chances of winning big you should place bets on numbers that other people are less likely than you to choose.

Buy extra tickets

We didn't say these tips would be so inventive. While it's obvious that extra tickets increase your chances of winning, the majority of right-thinking and frugal people won't buy more than one.

Although the costs can add up, all guides to winning the lottery agree that purchasing extra tickets is a good idea, especially when you combine it with other tricks and tips.

2. Stay true to your lucky numbers

A heated debate is raging among lotto players over whether it is better to buy quick picks (where the machine chooses your numbers) than to select your lucky numbers. Your money is in choosing your own.

Lucky numbers are your numbers. If you don't play you may miss your chance.

Although quick pick tickets account for the majority of lottery winners (which is fair), it's more important to play regularly. Unless...

3. Do not play every week

Many dedicated lotto players steer clear of popular games like Powerball and Mega Millions. They opt instead to target less-popular games that have low jackpots at times when they are least popular, and then buy more tickets for specific draws.

While it can be tedious to research these draws, if there is a winner each time, the odds of winning are better than those in most major games.

4. Choose high numbers

While this tip will not increase your chances to "winning the lottery", experts agree that it can make you less likely of splitting a major draw. Based on significant dates in their lives, people are more likely to choose numbers between 1 and 31. how to increase your odds of winning the lotto jackpot