Your own numbers, or lotto quick pick numbers? Many players like to have their playing decisions made for them. That accounts for the huge popularity of computer picks for Powerball, Mega Millions and other large lottery games around the world.
According to the USA Powerball webpage, between 70% and 80% of lottery ticket purchases are made through their quick pick system. And the same number - that's 70% to 80% of all Powerball winners - are computer picks also.
So does this mean that lotto quick picks are better than using a system or selecting your own numbers?
Many people enjoy quick picks because they give no duplicate numbers, and they have a little excitement of the unknown about them.
But there are several bigger advantages for choosing your own numbers as a way to win lottery games.
The first is that you can make your own choices, and that means you are able to include whatever number selection you want. This is the most important point because it means you can choose your numbers so they better reflect the true range of winning numbers.
For example, you might be given lotto quick pick numbers like 32, 34, 37, 39, 42, 49. Or at the other extreme it could be 1, 3, 7, 10, 11, 13.
From experience you'll probably know that it's very rare for the numbers bunched at either end of the game's number group to win. So that means neither of these lotto quick pick selections are useful to you.
Certainly, if you get a number of lotto quick pick tickets like this, you're throwing your money away.
One of the more important advantages for self-selecting your own numbers, or using a system, is that a good winning lottery system will eliminate most of the ineffective numbers. This could be as many as 98% of number combinations that simply are not workable.
So by selecting your own numbers, you're working in the last 2% of opportunity. This gives you hugely better odds.
And lastly, it's common knowledge that many people win with a number selection that they haven't changed for years. For example, Chris Crane and his wife Tina won the million Mega Millions in October, using the same set of numbers they had played for several years.
There are many examples like this which show the effectiveness of using your own numbers.
