Superstitions & lotto numbers

We all know winning the lottery is purely based on luck, but with luck comes superstitions. There’s many practices we carry out in regards to choosing our lotto numbers, because at the end of the day it isn’t that easy to pick numbers that could potentially change your life.

We take a look at some of the common superstitions when it comes to picking lotto numbers, stories that have arisen from the winning outlets, as well as some very quirky rituals players carry out before purchasing their ticket.

Common superstitions when picking lottery numbers

Just as players employ strategies for roulette, there are an array of systems employed by lottery players. Both games rely on luck but playing with strategies can be a lot of fun and definitely creates that sense of thrill and anticipation.

These are some of the most popular ways players pick their lottery numbers.

Birth dates: Despite statistics stating numbers over 31 have been drawn more so than numbers under the maximum number of days in a month, punters still opt to choose their birthday because it’s a personal date and winning with your birthday would make it even more special. Since the game is based on luck and most see birthdays as a lucky day, we’re bound to use it, but if it hasn’t proven a winner thus far, perhaps you need to reevaluate.

Anniversary dates: As with birthdays, anniversary dates are very popular because they resemble a special day in a person’s life and since it was so lucky for them, they use these dates. However, once again statistics have proven in some International lotteries that numbers under 31 have been drawn out less than ones over 31.

Cultural reasons: Some players pick their number based on cultural customs. For example, the Chinese believe that the universe is run by two rules -Yin and Yang. Yin belongs to humans which are even numbers, while Yang belongs to the Gods and are odd numbers. It’s believed if you pick odd numbers then you will anger the Gods, so players will only pick even numbers on their lottery ticket.

The most common numbers drawn: Many players like to look up the numbers that are drawn the most in that lottery. For example for Oz Lotto, the numbers 6, 11, 23, 29, 34, 40, and 42 were all drawn in huge jackpots a few years ago, totalling from 40 million right up to 100 million so many opt for these numbers again. Each number has an equal chance of being drawn however, so it depends how superstitious you are that they will all be drawn again.

License plate or license number: There is a sense of luck to getting our first license or our first car, so many players vibe off this and opt to use their license number or plate for their lottery numbers. Since these aren’t limited to being under a certain number as the birthday and anniversary numbers are, we don’t see any harm in opting for this one.

Dreams: Some players may dream certain numbers up and then use these numbers as their numbers for their lottery tickets and interestingly it actually worked once, specifically in a lottery that took place in America called the Mega Millions. An anonymous winner said he dreamt the numbers to pick and used them, and ended up winning a whopping $189 million.

Random numbers: Interestingly, experts who have commented on the topic of picking numbers think choosing your numbers randomly is the best option. This isn’t because it will increase your odds at winning, rather it is because it is less likely other players will have the same combination of random numbers meaning if you do win, you have a better shot of winning the money and it’s likely with a lesser amount of other people, meaning more money for you.

Winning outlets

A winning ticket has to come from somewhere, and as such many superstitions have arisen around the outlets that have sold winning tickets.

For example, an outlet in Somerville, Victoria, which sold a winning ticket in 2013, sold another one 12 months later; it thus has become the place to purchase a lottery ticket at the end of February/start of March every year.

If an agent has sold a winning ticket, many players will travel that extra mile to purchase a ticket from the outlet due to superstitions and only purchase them from certain employees too. For example, an employee at Noosa Civic’s NewsXpress outlet, by the name of Jess Harrison, is considered lucky as she sold a $13 million winning ticket in 2012 and since then she has had people ask her to sell the ticket to them and even kiss it for extra luck.

Quirky rituals while buying lottery tickets

While some players may think using lucky numbers and basing their numbers on certain dates is ridiculous, they may actually believe in carrying out certain rituals either before they buy their ticket, during the purchase, or even after they have purchased it.

Some of these rituals include:

• Rubbing the lottery ticket over a black cat
• Asking the agent to hand the lottery ticket to them with their left or right hand only
• Wearing their birth stone when purchasing the ticket and rubbing it for luck
• Entering the lottery outlet on a certain foot
• Rubbing the ticket on a pregnant woman’s belly (it could get weird if it is a stranger)
• Wearing/carrying a lucky charm such as lucky underwear, socks, rabbit’s foot etc.
• Putting a coin in your shoe when purchasing the ticket at the outlet or online
• Rubbing a bald man’s head prior to purchasing the ticket (once again, it could get weird if you don’t know them)
• Buying extra tickets on a full moon
• Buying something else along with your lottery ticket
• Pinning a pin upside down on your shirt prior to filling out the form and purchasing the lottery ticket

Numbers players avoid

There are also certain numbers that players are superstitious about in that they are unlucky and thus players avoid playing these at all costs.

These include the numbers one through to six as it has been revealed that in prior years around the world tens of thousands of people have picked these numbers and because of this the Division 1 prize was broken down to a very small jackpot to share between everyone.

Others will avoid picking 13 because it is widely known that it is an unlucky number. For example, a lady in France switched her usual numbers on Friday 13 and her usual numbers actually won the eight million jackpot.

The best lottery picking system

There is no right or wrong way to pick lottery numbers since it is a game of pure luck. No one knows which outlet will sell the winning ticket, or whether the winning ticket will be sold online, even if it has won before. Additionally, your birthday is just as likely to be drawn as all the other numbers despite statistics of past results, as that number has an equal chance that all other numbers have of being drawn.

If you enjoy being superstitious or carrying out rituals when purchasing lottery tickets then we say do it, because it can be a lot of fun rather than just doing QuickPick and forgetting about it until it has been drawn.