$100 million Powerball: Officials give 'best advice' ahead of mammoth draw
The mega jackpot is among the biggest prize ever offered in Australia.
We've all dreamt of winning the lottery. And with tonight's mega Powerball jackpot reaching a mammoth $100 million, Aussies are in with a chance of becoming an instant multi-millionaire.
Up to half of Australian adults are expected to have an entry into draw 1420, and with just a 1 in 134.5 million chance to win Division One prize, you might be wondering how you can get an edge when it comes to scooping the millions — so lottery officials have shared their tips.
The jackpot has reached new heights after last week's $60 million saw no division one winner for the fifth time. If a single ticket matches all numbers this week, not only will one person become a lot richer, but it will be the first time the game has handed out $100 million to a ticket holder twice in a single year.
It's not the first time a prize this size has been on offer. In June this year, a Sydney dad scored the entire $100 million jackpot after his Division One win. Before that, a $100 million jackpot was on offer in December 2022 which resulted in three division one winners, each taking home a life-changing $33.3 million.
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How to get an edge in the $100 million Powerball
Speaking ahead of tonight's mammoth draw, lottery officials have offered advice for those vying for a chance to win — and it's best to get in early.
When the Sydney dad won big, the peak of sales was at 6.29pm on the day of the draw when more than 8,227 tickets were sold in a single minute, The Lott spokesperson Anna Hobdell said.
"Our best advice to Aussies vying for a chance to win this mammoth multi-million-dollar prize is to get in early and don’t leave purchasing your entry until the last minute," she said.
"Our tip to players is to register any Powerball entries to a player card or online account so they can be contacted immediately after the draw should they score a slice of the division one prize.
"We also recommend players ensure their contact details are up to date as we will want to reveal the life-changing news as soon as possible!"
How to choose numbers that will boost your winnings
Professor John Croucher at Macquarie University’s Business School previously told Yahoo News Australia there are certain types of numbers to avoid to minimise the risk of dividing the jackpot with others who have the same numbers.
“If you choose a pattern you’re more likely to share it,” the statistician said.
“The chances of you sharing it will shift depending on whether you pick birthdays for example. People who pick numbers above 31 are probably less likely to share it.”
Professor Croucher said common sequences included 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 and 2,4,6,8,10,12,14 while some people focused on specific numbers reappearing in others such as 1 in 11, 21, and 31.
Jason Murphy, an Australian economist and author of Incentivology, keeps a close eye on the numbers drawn and believes 1 and 16 are strong numbers to choose if you don't want to share the Division one jackpot, while stereotypically lucky numbers such as 7 should be avoided. He says odd numbers are more popular than even ones.
Both experts note any set of numbers has the exact same possibility of being drawn as all the other combinations.
Need help for gambling? You can call the National Gambling Helpline on 1800 858 858.
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