Well it’s here! Check out our girls Sierra Luchien and Tammy Redlen as they are pumped waling out of the Blue Bird liquor store after waiting in line for nearly 3hours to purchase their Mega Millions lottery ticket in Hawthorne, Calif.
The jackpot for the lottery game that’s played in 42 states as well as the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands is an estimated $540 million. Lives will change if a winning number is drawn Friday night — or we’ll be playing again if no winner is drawn and the jackpot increases.
So how can you win the largest American jackpot EVER?
7-time lottery winner Richard Lustig has been doing the talkshow scene giving advice on how to win the lottery. The Floridian plays the game every day. He’s won more than $1 million bucks!
“I keep on winning because I follow my method,” Lustig told “Good Morning America.”
Here are his tips for buying tickets:
1) Pick your own numbers. Don’t leave it up to the machine. Lustig advises against playing Quick Picks, the phrase describing the number the computer picks for you when you don’t use your own.
2) Do your homework. Go online and make sure the set or sets of numbers you play have never come up before.
3) Stick with your strategy. You have to learn what number to play and how often to play. Commit to your numbers and stick to your strategy.
4) Avoid lottery fever. When jackpots get this high, Lustig says, people tend to get lottery fever and spend a lot more than they normally would or can afford. Don’t go crazy; the odds are still the same no matter how much you spend.
Hmmmmm…does that sound right? Some folks say heck no! Personal finance author Zac Bissonnette agrees.
“I hesitate to even say this,” Bissonette told Your Money, “but if you do buy lottery tickets, picking random numbers is the way to do it. (Picking your own numbers) means you’re more likely to pick numbers someone else has, and then you’ll be more likely to split.”
They agree that allowing the computer to choose your numbers does not necessarily increase your chances of winning.
Mathematicians and lottery officials have said that the odds of winning are always the same regardless of how many people play because the lottery is always drawn from the same set of numbers.
With a $540 million total, the lump sum payment is estimated at $389.8 million, according to lottery officials. Winners can also take payments annually for 26 years.
The amount that could be won may still rise depending on how many tickets are actually sold.
Folks all we can suggest is to play the darn game, even $1 and pray! You can’t win if you ain’t in folks…..and don’t forget to share with BlackMediaScoop! LOL! Good Luck!
Source: BlackMediaScoop
