Lotto
Lotto
is the most common form of gambling in Australia.
Every week millions of ordinary people who probably
don't think of themselves as gamblers, religiously
commit a small (in most cases) percentage of their
incomes to the coffers of Lotto companies and the
government, in return for a very small chance at instant
wealth. In effect these people are paying for the
enjoyment of having a dream, which is fine as long
they understand that this is what they are doing.
Many players of gambling variants like Lotto and Bingo
would not see it as gambling, more as paying for some
light entertainment, and we have no problem with it
in that context.
It must be understood though, that Lotteries are
hugely negative sum games, usually returning somewhere
below 60% of entry money to the prize pool. This makes
Lotto poor value for the smart gambler. Yet Lotto
remains the most most popular form of gambling in
Australia and many other countries. Lotteries have
occasionally been referred to as a 'stupidity tax'!
Despite this, lotteries have become more and more
popular around the world, and in doing so they have
also become bigger. More players means bigger prizes
and thus the self reinforcing cycle continues. Another
factor in the growth of lotteries is their international
nature, with players anywhere in the world able to
participate in the big lotteries via the internet.
Lotteries attract more than their fair share of shysters selling betting systems
and numbers to the gullible, of which, unfortunately, there seems to be no shortage.
You can read about some of these scams under the 'Nice Try' link.
There are four approaches to lotteries:
- Don't play.
This is recommended by Smartgambler for most people.
- Play, but don't spend much and don't take it too seriously.
Treat it as a small sum spent on entertainment. We repeat, as an
'investment' your expected return is very poor.
-
Play seriously, to win.
As far as we know, only a few mathematicians and professional gamblers like
the Stefan Mandel syndicate have been able to actually get an edge at Lotto,
and only then by waiting until numerous consecutive jackpots had produced
the necessary mathematical conditions to create value. If you go into it scientifically,
monitoring the big lotteries around the world for rare opportunities to strike,
it is possible to gain an edge. Even this edge is usually only theoretical
because of the huge odds against winning, unless you become part of well moneyed
syndicate that covers all, or very large chunks of all, the combinations.
Even then there is the horrible possibility of a state lottery board reneging
on a payout as reputedly happened to the Mandel syndicate, miring them in
legal proceedings.
-
Virtual Lotto.
You pretend you have entered and hope fervently to win first prize. Your chances
(zero) are not dissimilar to everybody else's and you have all the usual fun
of hoping to win, but you save the entry fee each time you 'play'.
Smartgambler also has a suggestion for a new, world first, reverse form of
Tattslotto, which would be free to enter. Instead
of one or two people becoming very happy after each
draw and millions of losers being slightly disappointed,
how about there being ten or so 'losers' who are stripped
of all their money, their assets liquidated after
each draw, then divided up amongst all the other players?
You would have millions of happy winners of a small
amount each week, compared to only a tiny number of
(very) upset losers. The losers however, would be
consoled with the thought that money isn't everything
and could join a non materialistic religious sect,
without even having to donate their now non-existent
wealth towards the sect leader's affluent lifestyle.
If instead of Lotto, you prefer to take your chances
in an online casino, you can find a great comparison
site at www.newzealandcasinos.nz.
There are, of course, ways to increase your return on lottery games, mostly
based on choosing less popular combinations so that any hypothetical win will
yield greater returns, due to fewer other winners requiring their split. The
effect of these measures is hard to quantify and we consider it unlikely that
any of them (other than the very professional approach outlined above) actually
lead to an advantage for the player. Don't forget, in lottery games you are
starting out with a 40% or worse disadvantage.
If you are undaunted by what you have read so far, have a look at the following
section for advice on how to minimise the damage.
NEXT ... Playing Tips
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