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He also revealed why you don’t need to wait for the $1bn jackpot to win life-changing money
A LOTTERY expert has revealed his triple-threat tips for any players hoping to win tonight’s $1 billion Powerball jackpot.
It comes after the grand prize of the Powerball Lottery surged to a staggering $1 billion on Friday.
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Players had been gearing up for a jackpot of $950 million but soaring ticket sales meant lottery officials issued a last-minute announcement adding $50 million to the pot.
It is only the sixth time in over three decades that the jackpot has hit the billion dollar mark after no one won the $861 million prize in Wednesday’s draw.
As more people are expected to throw their hat in the ring for tonight’s jackpot, Jared James, the founder of Lotto Edge, spoke exclusively to The U.S. Sun about his biggest tips for players and why your lucky numbers might not be so lucky after all.
“With any lottery draw game, prior drawings have no bearing on future draws,” he said when asked how players can boost their odds for the draw.
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“However, at LottoEdge, we did a study of historical Powerball results and found three things we recommend to players.”
First, he recommends using the entire play slip, but you must pay close attention to the numbers you choose.
This is where ‘lucky numbers’ come in as they can limit your chances if they were picked using a common method.
Many players who have their own ‘lucky numbers’ get them from special dates that hold meaning in their lives, but this instantly puts players at a disadvantage.
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“Playing only birthdays and anniversaries limits numbers up to 31,” James said.
“Less than 3% of drawings had all winning numbers 31 or below.”
“’Lucky’ and ‘unlucky’ numbers are really just a matter of personal belief,” he added.
“Lottery drawings are random, so no number has a built-in advantage.
“While it might look like certain numbers pop up more often, that’s simply chance at play.
“Over time, every number has the exact same odds of being drawn.”
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This is why players should mix up the numbers and combinations they select and play the entire slip.
James’ second tip is “don’t pick numbers using a pattern”.
“Some players will draw patterns on their play slip. Randomly drawn numbers don’t follow patterns,” the lottery algorithm founder said.
And lastly, players should use a mixture of odd and even numbers.
“The best mix was three even and two odd or two even and three odd,” he said of Lotto Edge’s analysis of previous Powerball draws.
“About 64% of winning results had this mix of even and odd.”
With these tips in mind, Powerball players will have to wait until 10:59 pm ET for the draw to see if they have won the staggering windfall.
The estimated cash value of the prize is a whopping $453.1 million.
But if you want to win big you don’t have to wait for record-breaking jackpots, James says.
“Many people have come to believe that only time to play is when jackpots near record levels,” he explained.
“Winning $1bn is generational changing money. But so is $400 million or even $100 million.
“If you are playing to win life-changing money, you don’t need to wait for record setting jackpots.”
Meanwhile, he said that those who just want to win the lottery should move to scratch offs where you are more likely to bag a prize.
“With games such as Powerball, you’re trading astronomical odds for chance to win monumental prizes,” he said.
“The game doesn’t have great odds to win smaller prizes though.
“For example, to win $100 on Powerball, the odds are about 1 in 14,400.
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“But on a $2 scratch off, you’ll find odds of winning $100 as low as 1 in 236, depending on the state.”
The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot tonight are around one in 292.2 million.
LottoEdge did a study of historical Powerball results and found three things to recommend to players:
1. Use the entire play slip – Playing only birthdays and anniversaries limits numbers up to 31. Less than 3% of drawings had all winning numbers 31 or below.
2. Don’t pick numbers using a pattern – Some players will draw patterns on their play slip. Randomly drawn numbers don’t follow patterns.
3. Mix even and odds numbers – The best mix was three even and two odd or two even and three odd. About 64% of winning results had this mix of even and odd.
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