This is the common mistake that many lotto betters do; they would start to assume that they can control the game, that they can “calculate” the possible outcomes and bet on these outcomes one by one. They stop to acknowledge that it is a game of chance, that although the resulting combination is finite, it does not make lotto a game of wits.

This misconception has already brought some people into madness. Some believed that they have developed some kind of an algorithm to determine the combinations that will come out. Some became victims of scammers and opportunists who use their skills in persuasion to convince these people to “invest” in their algorithms that promise a sure win. All these have only led people into depression and into “gambling addiction” something which is ultimately contrary to the very reason why such games exist.

Over time, lotto has become a game of hope. It has enabled many people to dream of eventually having enough money to spend. However, some people became slaves of this dream and forget that there are other means for them to earn rather than solely depending on lotteries and gambling. Some no longer do well in their jobs or aspire to get jobs that would give them bigger compensations. They have become slaves of the desire to become instantly rich without having to work hard.

Case in point, it is not wrong to play lotto or other games that might enable a person to be rich in an instant. What’s wrong is when person begin to depend on such games so much that he/she no longer pay enough attention to the other options that he/she has.

One can be rich through hard work and perseverance. We can always point out Steve Jobs and Bill Gates if we need some inspiration. These people, along with so many others in history have proven that it is possible to get wealth starting from scratch. They are living proofs that we don’t have to rely all our hopes on a game that we do not control. We can all dream big, but it takes some action for us to realize this dream. And, the only concrete action in our pursuit for this realization is hard work, not lotto, not gambling.

So the next time that you play lotto, think of it as a game, not a livelihood. Think of it as your means to have fun, not your means to live. And you what, when the time comes that you would actually win this game, you would be extra grateful because the game that gave you so much fun has also rewarded you with so much money.

To these people, winning the lottery has become their worst nightmare; what others thought to be a dream-come true because the source of disasters and other mishappening that made these winners to wish that they should have not won the game after all. Some of them lost their friends; others lost their family, while others lost their lives.

Here are five of the worst lottery-related cases recorded in history. May this serve as a lesson to all?

Case 1: The Andrew Jackson Whittaker Case

Unlike other winners, Mr Whittaker who is known as “Jack” to his friends is already a rich man when he won the lottery. It was the Powerball lottery drawn in December 2002 that made this man’s life miserable.

Prior to winning, this 55-year old man is already president of a small contracting firm somewhere in West Virginia. He had a big house and a fancy Lincoln Navigator. He had a happy family and a beautiful wife. Then on December 25, 2002 — Mr Whittaker won $314.0 million from the Powerball lottery. He is by far the biggest single winner of that lottery in the entire history of the US.

His first expenditures were noble. He funded for the construction of building churches and gave portion of his winnings to a foundation that caters the less fortunate. But that was just the beginning of it; soon, things went out of control.

He was robbed for a number of times; once when he was out in a strip club where he lost more than half a million dollars. He became a drunkard and eventually got divorced from his while. He then kept of releasing bouncing checks due to his gambling and the worst that happened to him is the death of his granddaughter due to drug over dose. It was said that the drug problem started with the fact that his granddaughter receives a loft $2100 allowance per week.

Case 2: The Alec Ahsoak Case

Mr Ahsoak is perhaps the greatest irony in lottery history. He gave portions of his winnings to a non-profit organization that help people who were victims of sexual abuse. But later in 1993, he himself was convicted for the sexual abuse he has committed to his two young children. For whatever’s worth, he again won another $500,000 later that year which media happily announced and labelled him as the “lucky sex offender”.

A few days later, he was attack in his way home and obtained fatal injuries. It is still not known what the reason for the attack was since no money was stolen from his pockets.

Case 3: The William Post Case

Mr William Post used to live on food stamps for his daily survival before he won $16.2 million. Mr Post is one of the common lottery winner stories where the winner is enticed to invest his money on “great ideas” which eventually proved to be disastrous.

His former girlfriend found a way to sue Mr Post to get half of his winnings. After that, his brother was arrested for attempting to kill him by hiring a hit man (his brother was expecting to be the heir after his death). Within one year, Mr Post found himself in a $ 1 million debt!

Actions Necessary Immediately After Winning the Lottery:

1. Keep the News Private. It is important that you keep quiet about your winning, at least before you really get hold of the money. You don’t have anyone prying on your privacy, don’t you? Or have someone interested of stealing away your precious winning ticket? It will also be very embarrassing if you claim to have won the lottery and end up unable to claim the prize because of certain reasons.

2. Give importance to details. Read all instructions on how you can claim your prize smoothly. You will be required to present pertinent documents to prove your identity, so better secure these documents first before heading to get your cash. It will also be helpful if you will sign your winning ticket (but don’t do this if the instructions tell you to keep the ticket free from any markings). If you can’t sign the ticket, just photo copy it, or maybe take a picture of your holding the ticket — make sure that the winning combination is clearly captured. You can use these files to prove the veracity of your claim just in case something goes wrong.

3. Talk to a lawyer. When it comes to money, you’d better seek the help of someone who knows a lot about the legalities within the state where you are currently living. Your lawyer will be able to provide you with legal security in keeping your money and your transactions safe from deceits.

Possible Legal Issues that You Might Encounter:

1. You have the right to protect your identity from the public. Thus, if your name is published by the lottery company or the media, you have every right to sue whoever is behind the plot.

2. Next, if you really want to have a smooth transaction, immediately consider the taxes incurred by your winning. Ask you lawyer to do this for you, just be sure that your lawyer is trustworthy. The taxes will be different if you choose to receive your winnings as a lump sum or as a yearly annuity. You can also ask you lawyer which of the two options is better for you; but if you want a more sound advice, I suggest that you hire a financial adviser who can really guide you through the process.

3. If the ticket is jointly purchased, it is important that you immediately establish a partnership with the person who you purchased it with. This is save you from a lot of troubles in the future.

What to Do After Claiming the Money?

1. Authorize your attorney to collect the money for you. This will ensure that you keep your identity safe.

2. Hire a financial advisor or a good accountant to help you with what you should do with your money. They may offer you suggestions as to how you can maximize the potential of the money that you have.

3. Allocate money for your spending. Properly managing your money does not mean depriving you of enjoying your winnings. Just allocate a modest amount for your spending spree. But the rest of your winnings, stock it up for business and for savings.

4. You can save your money in a bank and then get annual payments for the interest that it has earned. This way, you will get enough money to sustain your lifestyle, but at the same time, your money is left untouched in the bank.

5. Do not quit your job immediately. There are perks to having a stable job. You might have to quit it someday, after your business has grown big time. But as of the moment, it is better that you keep it.

If you will ask lottery betters, you would discover that almost all of them bet for the same reasons — they want to have a better life. In fact, majority of the betters belong to middle class and those who are considered “poor” in the society. It is a common dream amongst these people to experience living in comfort, when they can dine at a restaurant that they want or travel to any place that they feel like visiting; to buy things which used to be so elusive and to afford services which were too impossible to avail in the past.

However, given that the lottery is a game of chance, is there really a way to improve one’s chance of winning? Well, we should get it straight from the onset: the lottery is not purely based on luck. As much as luck is involved in the game, it is a game of odds. The combination of numbers that you can make is finite. In short, you can narrow down the odds and thus, increase your chances of getting the combination right.

Here are some tips which you can follow to in order to do this:

Tip 1: Play ball games with less number combinations

If you really want to win frequently, do not play the 7-ball game. More balls mean more combinations and more combinations means that you will have less chance of picking the right combination. Try playing the 5-ball game, or you can also try the 6-ball game if you are really after bigger prizes. Just remember that the more balls are played the less chance you have to get the combination right.

The same is true with other lotteries, even those which are not drawn using balls. Between two games that require you to choose from, say, 30 and 60 digits, I suggest that you choose the game where less digits are involved.

Tip 2: Do not be deceived with computer-based lotteries

Get this right, computer-based lotteries can be programmed to NEVER give out the combination that will make anyone win. The safest option for you to take is to play a game where you will really see how the numbers are drawn. The best examples are those drawn using Ping-Pong balls or those which are drawn from washer barrel machines.

Tip 3: Do not rely on the “quick-pick” set of numbers

Some lottery centres offer a “quick-pick” number combination that they claim to have more chance of winning. These “quick-pick” combinations are not really different from all the other combinations out there since the drawing of the numbers would be purely random. In the same way, do not rely on the suggested lottery combinations published in tabloids or advertised online. Many of those who offer such combinations will only exploit you rather than help you.

Tip 4: Develop you own lottery strategy

It would be really helpful if you develop your own strategy to win the lottery. You may maintain a specific number combination or play around the combination, just be consistent with the numbers that you are betting. A good number of lotto winners claim that they have been betting on the same number combination for years before they actually won the pot. Be patient and try to do the same.

Tip 5: Do other productive things

Do not think that just because you are betting in the lottery, it is alright for you to quit your job and be a couch potato. While the pot is not yet yours, work hard so you can still pay your bills.

Biggest Mistake Number One: To Bet Based on Luck

The “lucky feeling” does not guarantee you any win, in fact, it not make any difference at all. Some people bet big during the days when they feel “lucky”, not realizing that their own personal feelings does not improve their chances of winning. Just imagine how many people “feel lucky” each day and how few of them actually win a prize? As a simple conclusion to this, there is a very low chance that you will win the jackpot prize based on luck.

Contrary to what most people believe, lotto is not just a simple game of luck. Although it can be argued that some people have actually won the game by pure luck, it should be taken into consideration that it is actually a game of possibilities. This means that the combination of numbers that will come one in the next jackpot draw is finite — it is one of the many possibilities that can come out in combining 46 digits.

This means that you can actually increase your chance of winning but eliminating the odds against your bet. Although it is impossible to win in all your games, when you get the formula right, you can be certain that it is actually possible for you to take home the pot.

One algorithm used to “predict” the winning combination was developed by an Oklahoman professor who was reported to have won the lottery three times! How amazing can that be? Some people spend an entire lifetime betting on their combination and yet end up dead before they even get the chance to know what it feels like to win the lottery. But this man got to experience that three times. That could not be luck alone, or else that man should have all the luck in the world. His secret? His algorithm.

You can actually develop your own algorithm too. The process might be too tedious but believe me; it will always be worth the price.

Biggest Mistake Number Two: You Have to be Good in Mathematics

Okay. This might shock you, but you don’t have to be good in math in order to win the lottery. It is a common misconception amongst us that we cannot learn the “system of winning the lottery” if we are not good at numbers. However, the system is not that difficult at all. It has been proven over and over in history that ordinary people with no substantial background in mathematics have won the pot. They simply followed a pattern and that led them to their gold mines!

Biggest Mistake Number Three: More Tickets Can Help You Win!

In the same way that you cannot really rely on pure luck to win, buying a lot of lotto tickets without following a set of pattern will also not get you anywhere; not to mention that this will also cost you a lot of money.

You have to realize that you need to play smart if you really want to win the lotto. Play only the pattern which will result to more chances of winning. Do not pick numbers randomly or based on what you feel will give you the win. Instead, focus on the pattern and the algorithm which you have developed over time. Remember that if you really want to win, then you need to cut your dependency on luck and start learning the system.