When most people think of the lottery, they immediately think of the top award, the jackpot, the huge prize that will change their lives forever and enable them to do whatever they want.
Players of slot machines think the same way as well. Throw in a few bucks, pull the handle, and win millions. Buy a ticket, match the numbers, and win millions.
But the jackpots are not where the great majority of winnings go. Jackpots, compared to all the other wins, are actually few and far between.
Little and often
Smaller wins are the more frequent wins and the bread and butter of lottery operators.
Lottery wins can be compared to wins on slot machines. The jackpot is going to be the hardest prize to win because on a slot machine there is usually only one combination of symbols that is assigned to the jackpot.
On a lottery, you need to get all six or seven numbers, and possibly a bonus number, to win the jackpot. Therefore, the odds of hitting the jackpot are very slim, sometimes several million to one.
Where the money is won
However, the smaller wins are what actually make up the majority of lottery and slot machine wins and the majority of money that is paid out in prizes.
In most cases, the smaller the win, the better the odds of hitting it. So the probability of hitting a $5.00 win on a lottery or a 5 credit win on a slot machine is greater than the jackpot or any major win, but the odds are still small so that outcomes are still skewed towards the operator.
These many small wins make up the majority of prizes that are won by lottery players. A free ticket here for not matching any numbers, $2.00 there for getting one number, maybe a free ticket and $3.00 for matching two numbers.
Many players are going to win these small prizes, and very few, if any, are going to win any big prizes on any draw.
Anything is a bonus
But the good news is that anything that you win, even if it is a free ticket, is a bonus.
You are buying a chance to win, nothing else. You don’t lose at the lottery. You either win or you don’t win. And even if you don’t win the jackpot, any win is a good win.
Don’t turn your nose up at those smaller prizes. Even if you win a free ticket, you are not only beating the odds, but you have won yourself another chance to win, and possibly win the jackpot.
So don’t just buy a ticket when the lottery prize is above a certain amount.Every ticket you buy for every draw could net you nothing, or a major prize.But a small or medium prize is never anything to turn your nose up at.