How To Win The Lotto?

Let's start by saying that there will be no magical solutions here, no psychic powers or promises to predict which balls will be drawn. Instead, we are relying on good old logic. So, how do you win the lotto, exactly? Is there anything you can do to make it easier to win? We have cut out the myths and fairy-tales to provide you with five real ways to improve your odds of a win.

1. Choose Lotteries with Better Odds

Not all lotteries are born equal, meaning some are easier to strike it rich in than others. At Lottoland you can have a go at the best lotteries from all over the world as well as the South African lottery products. This way, you can choose the lotteries where the odds are stacked more in your favour. 

The above table showcases a selection of the most popular international lotteries and illustrates which of those lotteries offer the best odds of winning. Plus, don't forget the smaller prize tiers too, as they can be worth thousands and even millions of Rands.

As you can see, the Irish Lotto offers the best value from this selection, but other international lotteries like the French and Swedish lottos offer even better odds of winning. In comparison, while the odds of winning US PowerBall might be high, with a record main prize of $1.586 billion, fortune most definitely favours the brave! Check out Lottoland’s full complement of international lotteries, and in the frequently asked questions (FAQ) sections, you will be able to find all the information you need about the odds of winning.

2. Join a Syndicate

Why play only six numbers when you can play seven. Or even 17! System betting increases your chances of winning the main prize by allowing you to choose extra numbers in addition to the standard amount of numbers required to win the main prize.

It’s a known fact that 20% of all main cash prizes are won by syndicates. That’s right, one in every five times that a lottery is won somewhere in the world; it’s because a group of friends, work colleagues, family or even a sports team have pooled their funds together to maximise their chances of becoming mega-millionaires.

Syndicates give you the opportunity to play more games and more numbers, hence increasing your odds of claiming the big one. Of course, you might have to share your winnings with your friends, but R1 625 378 169,00 billion between 10 people is still a whopping R16 254 070 million each!

While syndicates are a great way to maximise your chances of winning the main prize money, they can sometimes be a pain to organise and, of course, we have all heard of an unfortunate story or two when a member is ‘accidentally’ left out of a syndicate one week!

3. Make System Bets

Why play only six numbers when you can play seven. Or even 17! System betting increases your chances of winning the main prize by allowing you to choose extra numbers in addition to the standard amount of numbers required to win the main prize.

Let’s use the Irish Lotto as an example. In order for you to win the big prize, you need to match six numbers correctly. One bet with six numbers will cost you R35. But let’s say you have a few other lucky numbers you want to throw in to increase your chances of winning. For an additional R174, you can choose to play seven numbers instead, which now gives you seven potential winning combinations instead of the usual 1 combination. Have two extra lucky numbers you want to play? You can play a System 8 – which now gives you 28 potentially winning combinations.

At Lottoland, system betting is available for most lotteries from all around the world. Once you’ve chosen your lottery, it’s simple to select your additional numbers and increase your chances of becoming a multi-millionaire!

4. Pick Random Numbers

You won't increase your chances of winning with random numbers, but you will make a big difference to how much you win, should your ticket come good.

In the UK an estimated 10,000 people pick the numbers 1,2,3,4,5,6 each week, with a similar percentage doing the same in Ireland. If that sequence ended up being the main prize winning selection, all those people would net just £1000 from a £10 million prize pool. Let's face it, if you beat odds of 14 million to 1, you really don't want to take home a thousand pounds.

The easiest way of avoiding this by opting for a random selection, but if you're the type of person who likes to make their mark on the ticket, try to be creative about your selections.

For example, many choose a ticket comprised of notable birthdays, which means if your ticket wins, but your numbers are only between 1 and 31, there is a much higher chance of sharing your winnings with numerous other people.

5. Try More Often

You’ve got to be in it to win it, right? So if you’re serious about wanting to increase your chances of winning the biggest cash prize, an important way to do so is to ensure you always have a bet on your favourite draw.

Lottoland has your back with a Subscription Feature that ensures you’ll never miss a draw! Simply select how many weeks you would like to play your favourite lottery, and Lottoland will renew your bet each week. So even if you’re away on holidays, or your boss asks you to stay back late at work, or you simply forget, you will always have a bet on the go for your chosen lottery.

So, now that you know how to increase your chances of winning the main prize, it’s time to search Lottoland to find your preferred lottery, select your favourite numbers (or hit the QuickPick button) and get winning!

You can also visit the Lottoland website to learn more about how to play lottery online in South Africa or to learn about South African lotto draw days.