12-05-2025
Brits making one easy lottery mistake that could 'hinder their winnings'
It's estimated that around 70 percent of the UK's over 18s regularly take part in the National Lottery, which works out at nearly 45 million people
National Lottery players are being urged to avoid one error to increase their chances of winning big.
An estimated 70 percent of UK adults over 18 engage in the National Lottery, totalling nearly 45 million participants. This staggering statistic inspires numerous queries about winning odds—including the burning question: should you choose your own numbers or go for a lucky dip?
Recent discussions on Reddit revealed a lesser-known tip that could potentially increase your winnings if fortune favours you.
The debate was sparked by a Reddit user's post, which queried: "Statistically speaking, are you more likely to win the lottery using the same numbers every week rather than getting a lucky dip?"
Predictably, the thread saw a plethora of opinions and advice pour in from the lottery-playing community, which were quite diverse.
One commenter remarked: "Happy to be corrected but, as far as I know, each draw of the lottery is completely independent from the previous one. Therefore, keeping the same numbers each week gives you no greater likelihood of winning than having random ones," reports Bristol Live.
In contrast, another user referenced an unusual case from Eastern Europe: "There was a lottery in Bulgaria, maybe Hungary, a couple of years ago where the same numbers came up two weeks running. After an investigation they found nothing wrong.
"The chances of the same numbers coming up are exactly the same week on week. 1,2,3,4,5,6 is just as likely as any other combination. We see patterns and exclude random chance from them."
A third user contributed: "Every single draw is an individual event with zero relevance to previous or future draws. It makes no difference what approach you take."
Meanwhile, another remarked: "It makes no difference. Any set of numbers is just as likely to come up as any other."
For clarification, the lucky dip function allows punters to have their lottery numbers randomly selected by a computer. This option is available in several lottery games including Euromillions, Lotto, and Thunderball.
Utilising this feature means that each number sequence is uniquely generated without recalling past selections. Dream Jackpot has clarified: "Thus, if two or three of the same numbers are selected on a single ticket in different lines, it's purely coincidental.
"The software is designed to ensure a complete random selection of numbers, free from human bias or predictability."
While a lucky dip doesn't inherently increase your winning odds over choosing personal numbers, data suggests about 53 percent of lottery jackpots have been won through a lucky dip. However, this does not imply that a lucky dip grants any advantage for winning.
A significant number of lottery winners are those who opt for the automated selection method. The Health Lottery points out an interesting detail: "When numbers are chosen truly at random, it means you are less likely to share the pot with other winners.
"There are common patterns and themes that appear when people choose lottery numbers. For example, people often choose multiples of other numbers (e.g. 7, 14 and 21).
"This means that if those numbers win the big prize, the winnings will be shared with other people who chose the same numbers.
"Quick Pick numbers have been selected randomly, so are unlikely to have any sort of pattern or theme, which could make them less likely to match with other people's choices."
Many lottery players tend to pick numbers based on special dates such as birthdays or anniversaries, which tends to result in a greater frequency of lower numbers due to days only reaching 31 and months stopping at 12.
The Health Lottery advises: "Numbers that are chosen more often will appear on more lottery tickets – meaning a higher chance of sharing the top prize if you do win. By going with a Quick Pick or Lucky Dip option, you avoid this skew towards numbers that are in dates so could be less likely to have share your winnings."
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