Win the UK Lottery: "You can guarantee a win in every draw of the UK National Lottery by buying just 27 tickets, say a pair of mathematicians

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

"You can guarantee a win in every draw of the UK National Lottery by buying just 27 tickets, say a pair of mathematicians – but you won’t necessarily make a profit. While there are many variations of lottery in the UK, players in the standard “Lotto” choose six numbers from 1 to 59, paying £2 per ticket. Six numbers are randomly drawn, and prizes are awarded for tickets matching two or more. Now two researchers claim that despite there being 45,057,474 combinations of draws, it is possible to guarantee a win with just 27 specific tickets."

The most important words above are, "but you won’t necessarily make a profit." I usually have to wait in line at Stewart's while someone picks out several lottery tickets. "Hey, I won $5.00." Right. He's spent $100 on the lottery over the past month, and he's a "winner."

If the lottery was slanted in favor of the players, it would be losing money. When they were pushing for a lottery in NY years ago, they said the money would be used for education. I think they still say that. What that means is that some money for education comes from lottery profit, rather than from the general fund. There was no increase in funding for education.

Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

I rarely purchase lottery tickets, but when I do, I always have a 50/50 chance of winning. I either do, or I don't! Sorta like a yes/no question -- even though you may get a lot more nos. Each play is one or the other.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Bridges wrote:

I rarely purchase lottery tickets, but when I do, I always have a 50/50 chance of winning. I either do, or I don't! Sorta like a yes/no question -- even though you may get a lot more nos. Each play is one or the other.

You are 100% correct! You will either win or not win.

RiJoRi Loc: Sandy Ridge, NC

Rule 1: The best way to double your money is to fold it in half!
Rule 2: The house never, ever loses! (So guess who does lose?)

--Rich

clint f. Loc: Priest Lake Idaho, Spokane Wa

Isn’t the Lottery a tax on the math impaired?

Old Coot

RiJoRi wrote:

Rule 1: The best way to double your money is to fold it in half!
Rule 2: The house never, ever loses! (So guess who does lose?)

--Rich

Grandfather of a friend of mine started and owned the "Showboat casino" in Las Vegas. Any time someone mentioned that they were going to gamble there he would mutter under his breath "Suckers"

Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

RiJoRi wrote:

Rule 1: The best way to double your money is to fold it in half!
Rule 2: The house never, ever loses! (So guess who does lose?)

--Rich

On rule #2 -- I devised a scheme that is guaranteed to beat the house, when I showed it to a friend that gambled a lot, he agreed it could work but because there was an investment in time -- like gambling all day to make a couple hundred dollars, he said he wasn't interested in trying it. He said that wasn't gambling, that was work!

allan catt Loc: gillingham,kent,uk

I do the uk lottery every week,had a few small wins,I’d say I was breaking even at the moment still waiting for the big one.😹🇬🇧

Bob Smith Loc: Banjarmasin

I always do the Euro lottery but only when its over 100million its not worth doing it when its less

RiJoRi Loc: Sandy Ridge, NC

Bridges wrote:

On rule #2 -- I devised a scheme that is guaranteed to beat the house, when I showed it to a friend that gambled a lot, he agreed it could work but because there was an investment in time -- like gambling all day to make a couple hundred dollars, he said he wasn't interested in trying it. He said that wasn't gambling, that was work!

I just remembered - Richard Feynman told a story of someone who claimed to make money in Las Vegas. Curious, he inquired into it. The way that other person made money was by making side bets with the people gambling! (Effectively betting on the house each time.)

--Rich

fourlocks Loc: Londonderry, NH

jerryc41 wrote:

If the lottery was slanted in favor of the players, it would be losing money. When they were pushing for a lottery in NY years ago, they said the money would be used for education. I think they still say that. What that means is that some money for education comes from lottery profit, rather than from the general fund. There was no increase in funding for education.

Some years ago, they made Powerball changes adding millions more possible non-winning numbers so there's fewer winners and crazy jackpots would climb close to a billion thus generating a weekly feeding frenzy among the desperate and hopeful. Trouble is, it's a legalized form of gambling that disproportionately hurts those who can least afford it. As you noted, some of the money is supposed to go to education but I wonder how much.

Amielee Loc: Eastern Washington State

70 years ago my best friend and I had a system to win at roulette and went to Wells NV with $150.00. Did you ever see two 18 year olds cry and try to live for a week on $10.00? We drank a lot of Liptons Noodle Soup.