Lottery Myths
Many people have probably heard the saying that it’s more likely that a person will be struck by lightning than win the lottery. And in fact there are a lot of myths and rumours flying around about the lottery, so we need to get to the bottom of them.
And it’s worth starting with this expression right away. After all, this myth does indeed occur most often. But in fact, this is not entirely true. Statistics tell us that the probability of hitting a person with lightning is 1 in 600,000. Whereas the chance of winning the lottery would be 1 in 292 million.
But research carried out in 1996 suggests that 1,136 people won the lottery in North America, while only 91 were struck by lightning.
The lottery is a tax on poverty
Sceptics so often talk about the lottery. It’s a regressive tax, because lottery players are low-income and less educated.
But it is essentially a voluntary game, and it is up to everyone to decide whether it is worth their time. All the more so as there are numerous notable personalities from various fields among the amateurs.
Only the winner benefits
This is not a correct statement. Even though a small percentage of the players get the winnings, the benefits are far greater. Lotteries today allocate certain amounts to charity.
If you use the same numbers all the time, you could pull off a jackpot
That’s a lie! The numbers are always chosen randomly and there is no link to previous draws. In theory, you can bet on the same numbers indefinitely and nothing will happen.
The smaller the jackpot, the greater the chances of winning
The odds of winning the jackpot are always the same. And it doesn’t matter the amount, it can be as much as 10 million euros or as much as 100 million. You can only increase your chances of winning by taking multiple tickets.
Can’t win big more than once
Many people say that lottery luck only comes once, but that’s not true either. There have been situations in history where a person has won several times and large sums of money.
At the moment, it is more difficult to win than before
It all depends on the lottery rules, and in the case of some lotteries, this statement becomes true. In some cases, for instance, there were 59 balls and now there are 69 balls, so there is less chance of winning.
But on the other hand, with each game the jackpot amount increases all the time.
The lottery leads to gambling addiction
The evidence to support this is simply not there. The availability of the lottery has no effect on the public. Gambling activities are primarily aimed at entertainment, not at making money. And responsible companies have links to websites with help for players who have been subjected to gambling addiction.
Winning the lottery will make a person happy
In general, winning the lottery will not affect a person’s bottom line. Whoever was happy before will remain happy. Whoever behaved unworthily in the past will continue to do so. Of course, winning may give financial freedom, but it will not buy what is really necessary and important.