I'm a mathematician – the winning formula to scooping the entire £119m Euromillions jackpot TONIGHT
Winning the £119 million prize tonight would make your fantasy a reality - and Sun readers can boost their chances of scooping the ENTIRE jackpot thanks to maths lottery expert David Hodge's tips.
3
Dr David Hodge is a lecturer in statistics and data analytics at the University of Glasgow.
He's also been a Royal Statistical Stats Ambassador since 2018, and is a well-known probability expert.
He has revealed how to increase the chances of walking away with all the money in the Euromillions game tonight.
With millions of us buying a ticket each week, you'll need all the help you can get battling it out against other hopeful players for the huge £119 million prize that's up for grabs.
There have been huge jackpots available recently - a record-breaking £208million prize that was won by a lucky Irish ticket holder last month.
You pick five numbers from 1-50 and two lucky stars from 1-12, or you can choose a lucky dip - which is when the numbers are randomly selected for you.
If someone scoops the jackpot tonight, they would become instantly richer than the likes of Daniel Radcliffe, Dua Lipa or Harry Kane.
Here, David exclusively shares his golden tips for picking the winning numbers.
Of course, the only real way of increasing your chances of winning is to buy more tickets.
Make sure you gamble responsibly and only gamble with money you can afford to lose. Set a money limit before playing.
If you need advice, visit gamcare.org.uk or GambleAware.org.
Pick 'boring' numbers
Statistically, each number has an equal chance of being drawn, so there is no such thing as a "lucky" number.
David said the trick is to pick numbers that players are least likely to pick to increase your chances of keeping the entire prize - and not sharing it among other winners.
He tells Sun money: "Any prize could be theoretically shared, so you will want to be the only one who wins if you do win.
"So that means you need your numbers not to be other people's numbers. That means avoiding number patterns."
David advises players to pick "boring" numbers.
Those are numbers that do not stand out in any way.
It's more likely that people will pick the top five most frequently drawn numbers, for example, which are: 21, 23, 42, 29 and 17.
That's because people are likely to think they are "lucky" and have a higher chance of being drawn.
Boring numbers are those which have been drawn an average number of times.
Picking 37, which has been drawn a mediocre 91 times, could be a good option.
So could 24 and 13, which have also been drawn 91 times, as well as 32, which has been drawn 90 times.
"Pick the ones that look boring and that people won't be interested in," David adds.
Never choose "overdue" numbers
The same principle applies to "overdue" numbers.
These are the numbers which have been drawn the least in EuroMillions games.
David said players may be more tempted to pick these numbers on their ticket, hoping they will come up in tonight's game.
"People might look for numbers that haven't come up very often, because they think they're due to come up soon," said David.
"This is nonsense, because past numbers have no effect on what's going to happen in the future."
The top five numbers drawn the least are: 40, 18, 43, 4 and 1.
Picking "weird" combinations is a mistake
Thinking of picking 1,2,3,4,5 because you reckon no one else will?
You might think weird number combinations like these will increase your likelihood of not having to share the pot of prize winnings among other players.
But you're wrong, according to David.
"That sequence - 1,2,3,4,5 - is actually more popular than you might think," he said.
"If you think something is a weird combination, it's likely that other people will think it's weird too, and will likely pick that combination too.
"That's because your brain holds onto anything that fits some kind of pattern."
So if you're picking combinations of numbers like 2,4,6,8,10, or 5,10,15,20,25, the chances are that other people are picking the exact same numbers too.
'I won £1 million on Euromillions - I've spent it on holidays to Dubai and Mauritius'
RUTH Breen was on her lunch break when she found out she won £1 million on the Euromillions.
Ruth won in 2014, and spent the cash on luxury trips to destinations like Dubai, St Lucia and Mauritius.
Speaking last year about her win, Ruth said: "
"An awful lot has changed in the past 10 years but then again, not so much.
"The win came at the most perfect time ever. It allowed me to reduce my working hours, giving me a much better work-life balance."
Ruth now works part-time as a nurse, and spends more time with her daughter doing "fun mum things".
Her first purchase following her mega win was a pair of Jimmy Choos.
Ruth said: "I nearly cried when I was paying for them in Selfridges because I couldn't believe I was actually able to purchase this and I had the money to do it.
'It was a little bit overwhelming."
Ruth still lives in the house she bought just before her win and says most of the new mothers she works with are unaware they are being looked after by a millionaire.
Why a lucky dip really could be lucky
The key is to avoid number patterns on your Euromillions ticket.
That's because it's more likely that players will be picking the same combination as you.
Again, if you are lucky enough to win, that means a larger number of players to share the pot with.
The best way of avoiding patterns, according to David, is to pick a lucky dip.
He says: "Humans are notoriously bad at picking random numbers.
"So it's likely that your attempt at picking five truly random numbers will probably fail.
"The best thing to do is get a computer to pick random numbers - which is what a Lucky Dip does."
A lucky dip also removes the likelihood of becoming "wedded" to your numbers.
"The key is not to be biased towards any number," David said.
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So if you played in a group of 10 people and you won the £131million jackpot, each person would walk away with £13.1 million. Of course, that's still big winnings to walk away with, but it's certainly something to consider.
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Lottery experts' 9 top tips for winning £131m Euromillions jackpot TONIGHT – plus the exact time to buy your ticket
Lottery gurus, including probability expert David Hodge, explain why it is better to play as a group, and why to avoid "overdue" numbers LOTTO CASH Lottery experts' 9 top tips for winning £131m Euromillions jackpot TONIGHT – plus the exact time to buy your ticket Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) EVERYONE wants to win the lottery - but what if we told you the secret to scooping the giant £131million Euromillions jackpot tonight? Lottery experts have exclusively shared their ultimate tips with Sun readers on how to boost your chances of walking away with the entire mega prize up for grabs. 2 Want to make your dreams of winning the Euromillions come true? Here's our top expert tips to follow Credit: AFP - Getty Maths whizz David Hodge, a lecturer in statistics and data analytics at the University of Glasgow, and Simon Horne, from The National Lottery operator Allwyn UK, share their winning formulas. Plus Lottery Guy, who has been dishing out winning tips on his blog since 2004, shares how he helps players win big. Millions of us buy a Euromillions ticket each week, which means there is fierce competition for the top £131million jackpot prize up for grabs tonight. There have been huge jackpots available recently - a record-breaking £208million prize that was won by a lucky Irish ticket holder last month. You pick five numbers from 1-50 and two lucky stars from 1-12, or you can choose a lucky dip - which is when the numbers are randomly selected for you. If you're lucky enough to have the winning ticket tonight, you'll instantly become richer than the likes of superstars Daniel Radcliffe, Dua Lipa and tennis ace Andy Murray. From picking your lucky numbers to joining a syndicate, there's a heap of practical ways to boost your chances of getting richer overnight. Of course, the only real way of increasing your chances of winning is to buy more tickets. Make sure you gamble responsibly. Only gamble with money you can afford to lose, and set a money limit before playing. If you need advice, visit or Monitor your numbers Do you have a set of numbers you stick to religiously, but have noticed they just aren't working for you? Keep an eye on how often your numbers are being drawn, and if they're not coming up as often as you would like, you can try a different tactic. The National Lottery app stores all your tickets from draws you have entered. The app is free to download from either the App Store on iPhone, or the Google Play Store on Android devices. That means you can go back in and check your most profitable numbers. Make a spreadsheet of how often your lucky numbers are being drawn, and every three months, see whether it's worth keeping them or ditching them for alternatives. Timing matters Timing matters when it comes to buying your ticket, said Simon. If you leave it to the last minute, then there's a risk that you run out of time to buy yours. You need to buy your ticket before 7:30pm tonight - otherwise you'll miss out. "My main advice is not to leave it too late - don't rush into the newsagents or load up your app at 7:25pm," he said. "You might not be able to upload money onto your online account, or buy your ticket, in time, and you could miss the draw." Avoid birthday numbers You must pick five main numbers between 1-50 for your EuroMillions ticket and two "lucky star" numbers from 1-12. It may be tempting to pick your and your loved one's birthday dates as your main numbers with the hope they bring you luck. But Lottery Guy said it's best to avoid this tactic. This is because there will be lots of people picking birthday dates too. Birthday dates are numbers between 1-31. There's a greater chance of having to split the pot between other players if you're lucky enough to hold the winning ticket. He says: "Avoiding these numbers doesn't increase your chance of winning, but if you do win, you're much less likely to split the prize with other winners. 'I won £148.6million on Euromillions - I celebrated by ordering Domino's pizza' Adrian Bayford became one of the UK's biggest Euromillions winners in 2012 when he scooped the £148.6 million jackpot. The former postman celebrated his gigantic win by ordering Domino's pizza for him and his then-wife, Gillian. Speaking about the win at the time, Gillian said: " "I checked the numbers on my phone, the TV, the internet — and we just looked at each other and giggled." Adrian and his wife divorced just 15 months after their win, with Gillian later saying the money had come between her and her family. Adrian has splashed his winnings on various ventures since. He purchased a Grade II listed estate, Horseheath Lodge, in Cambridgeshire for £6.5million, complete with luxurious amenities. In 2020, he bought two estates in Scotland — he paid £1.1million for one in Blairgowrie, Perthshire, and days later splashed out 1.35million on another plush pad just 12 miles away. He has also previously run small businesses on his estate, including a record shop, a pub, and even organised a music festival dubbed a 'mini Glastonbury' on his Cambridge Estate since 2017. In 2023, he began renting out a cottage on his property as an Airbnb for £110 a night, and the following year began renting out a farmhouse on the 189-acre estate for extra cash. Adrian planted grape vines in 2024, aiming to produce sparkling wine. His vineyard is roughly the size of six football pitches. Together with his fiancée Tracey Biles, he has been growing his own food in a new kitchen garden, as well as creating a large carp pond and raising goats and pigs. Which day to play You have to be in it to win it, so if you want the chance of scooping a jackpot, you must buy a ticket. But certain days are better than others to play. Lottery Guy said Tuesday is actually the best day to buy a ticket instead of Friday. He said: "With EuroMillions, Friday is the much more popular day, so you've got more competition on a Friday. "Consider focusing on the Tuesday draw if you want to keep more of that jackpot for yourself." Should you buy more tickets? YOU'VE got to be in it to win it. Every time you buy a ticket the odds of winning increase. But WARNING - only spend what you can afford. At the end of the day, it's down to luck. This is why some people prefer to be part of a syndicate, where multiple tickets are bought. While this means you'll have to share the pot, the odds become more favourable each ticket you buy. Pick 'boring' numbers Probability pro David Hodge said the key to playing the Euromillions is to pick numbers that other players won't. That's because, statistically, each number has an equal chance of being drawn, so there is no such thing as a "lucky" number. He tells Sun money: "Any prize could be theoretically shared, so you will want to be the only one who wins if you do win. "So that means you need your numbers not to be other people's numbers. That means avoiding number patterns." Picking "boring numbers" - those which do not stand out in any way - is a good tactic, he said. These are numbers that have been drawn out an average number of times in the Euromillions draws. So 37, 24, and 13, which has been drawn a mediocre 91 times, could be a good option, as well as 32, which has been drawn 90 times. "Pick the ones that look boring and that people won't be interested in," David adds. Never choose "overdue" numbers Likewise, don't pick "overdue" numbers - which are the numbers drawn the least number of times in Euromillions games. David says picking these numbers is a common tactic players follow. Again, that means that if you win, there's a greater chance of splitting your winnings with other people. 2 "People might look for numbers that haven't come up very often, because they think they're due to come up soon," said David. "This is nonsense, because past numbers have no effect on what's going to happen in the future." Avoid picking "weird" combinations You might be tempted to pick "weird" number combinations thinking that no one else will. That's sequences like: 1,2,3,4,5 5,10,15,20,25 2,4,6,8,10 But picking "weird" combinations is a surprisingly common tactic, says David. "If you think something is a weird combination, it's likely that other people will think it's weird too, and will likely pick that combination too. "That's because your brain holds onto anything that fits some kind of pattern." The key is to avoid number patterns, he says. A lucky dip really could be lucky What better way of avoiding number patterns than to pick a lucky dip? This is when the numbers are randomly selected for you by a computer when you buy a ticket at the till. David says: "Humans are notoriously bad at picking random numbers. "So it's likely that your attempt at picking five truly random numbers will probably fail. "The key is not to be biased towards any number." Join a syndicate A lottery syndicate is when a group of people put money into a pot for lottery tickets. There will be one person in charge - called the syndicate manager - who is in charge of buying tickets and sharing out any winnings out among the group. The syndicate manager will need to register the group with the National Lottery and list themselves as the person in charge. Playing with a group could be a good way of boosting your chances of winning, as Simon, from The National Lottery operator Allwyn UK, explains. He says: "If you join a syndicate of 10 people, then there's 10 tickets and 10 chances of winning, so there's clearly a greater chance of winning compared to if you just bought your own ticket. Simon advises players in a syndicate to draw up a list of terms and conditions that they all must agree to and sign. He adds: "If there's any confusion or complications down the line, then you can refer back to the agreement and then everyone knows where they stand. Of course, the biggest downside to a syndicate is that you will have to split the pot among the whole group equally. So if you played in a group of 10 people and you won the £131million jackpot, each person would walk away with £13.1 million. Of course, that's still big winnings to walk away with, but it's certainly something to consider.
