WHILE winning the lottery may seem impossible, the store you purchase your tickets at may play a role in your shot at scoring a jackpot.
A new study has revealed America’s convenience store chains that are statistically the luckiest – and you might want to consider avoiding popular ones such as 7-Eleven and Circle K.
New data has uncovered the luckiest convenience store chains in the country[/caption]
The study revealed that, while some store chains have amassed huge jackpot wins, others like 7-Eleven seemingly aren’t so fortunate[/caption]
The U.S. Sun spoke exclusively with lottery expert and mathematics professor Tim Chartier on the study’s findings[/caption]
Nearly everyone has dreamt of winning the lottery at some point, as there is hardly another way to come upon such a great sum of cash in such a short period.
Scoring a top prize is a relatively easy way to amass wealth in comparison to other methods – such as thinking up the next million- or billion-dollar company – at least in terms of effort.
It simply requires choosing a few numbers, or for even more convenience, using the Quick Pick option, and matching them with the randomly drawn ones.
The simplicity of the game, among other factors, has many lottery players surprisingly confident about their chances of scoring a jackpot despite the astronomically low odds of winning.
The odds of scoring a grand prize from either the Powerball or Mega Millions – the top two lottery games in the US based on their popularity and frequency of large jackpots – is roughly one in 290 million.
While the odds are not necessarily in our favor, a new study has suggested that your chances of becoming a lottery winner may depend on where you buy your ticket.
The U.S. Sun got an exclusive peek at the data and spoke with Tim Chartier, professor of mathematics and computer science at Davidson College, about what the findings mean for lottery players.
SHOPPING STRAT
Data from Casino.org, an online gambling platform, unveiled the convenience store chains across the country that are statistically the luckiest.
The platform analyzed thousands of winning lottery tickets and ranked the top-performing US convenience store chains based on the average jackpot won.
Topping the charts was Midway Convenience Stores, a Texas-based, family-owned chain established in 1995, with an average jackpot amount of $38.8 million.
Next up on the list is Hy-Vee Gas, a convenience store and gas station chain primarily located in the Midwest, with an average jackpot amount of $30 million.
Gateway Newstands – a chain of convenience stores and kiosks located in large office buildings, shopping centers, public places, and transit stations across the country – ranked as the third luckiest chain on the list with an average jackpot of $18.4 million.
Giant followed with an average jackpot amount of $14.4 million, and Break Time took fifth place with an average of $13.6 million.
Unfortunately for shoppers at 7-Eleven, Circle K, and Casey’s, the data shows that their odds are not looking great, as none of the three spots made the list of the top 20 luckiest convenience store chains in the country.
America’s luckiest convenience store chains
1) Midway: Average jackpot amount: $38.8 million
2) Hy-Vee Gas: Average jackpot amount: $30 million
3) Gateway Newstands: Average jackpot amount: $18.4 million
4) Giant: Average jackpot amount: $14.4 million
5) Break Time: Average jackpot amount: $13.6 million
6) Country Food Mart: Average jackpot amount: $12.2 million
7) QuikTrip: Average jackpot amount: $8.8 million
8) Lukoil: Average jackpot amount: $7.5 million
9) Stop N Buy: Average jackpot amount: $5.9 million
10) Sunshine: Average jackpot amount: $5.1 million
11) Go Mart: Average jackpot amount: $4.7 million
12) Short Stop: Average jackpot amount: $4.5 million
14) Cardenas Market: Average jackpot amount: $4.1 million
15) Hess Express: Average jackpot amount: $3.9 million
16) Chevron Food Mart: Average jackpot amount: $3.9 million
17) Shop Rite: Average jackpot amount: $3.6 million
18) Stop & Shop: Average jackpot amount: $3.5 million
19) Shell Gas Station: Average jackpot amount: $3.4 million
20) Holiday Stationstores: Average jackpot amount: $3.3 million
Source: casino.org
LUCK OR MATH?
So, are certain stores actually luckier than others?
The answer is no, according to lottery pro Tim Chartier.
While it may feel like luck, in reality, it is “just randomness doing what randomness does,” explained the mathematics professors.
“Think of it this way: imagine every store manager flips a coin 100 times. Some will end up with more heads than others, purely by chance. If each head earned the store $10,000, some would look ‘luckier’ than the rest – though it’s really just the math of probability at work,” he said.
Casino.org determined which stores were the “luckiest” based on the average jackpot won at each store, and while huge jackpot wins may seem like a stroke of fortune, it really is just a matter of math.
Larger average jackpots at a store chain can be the product of several factors, explained the mathematics expert.
For example, just one billion-dollar winning ticket can dramatically inflate the average jackpot amount of the chain.
“It’s like this,” said Chartier. “If Bill Gates shows up at a baseball game, the average income of everyone in the stadium suddenly soars – his massive wealth skews the numbers. The same idea applies to jackpots.”
On the flip side, said the expert, most lottery tickets are not winners, meaning that the more tickets a retailer sells, the greater the chance that the losing tickets will pull the average jackpot size down.
“That means the number of tickets sold, the number of participating stores, and even how popular the lottery is in an area can all influence a store’s average jackpot size,” explained Chartier.
HOW TO ACTUALLY IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES
Because randomness and statistics play a huge role in the lottery system, “luck” can be hard to come by when it comes to the game.
Because Powerball and Mega Millions generate winning tickets randomly, the odds of winning a jackpot prize in either game are exceptionally low.
“Imagine I secretly choose one second out of a span of more than nine years. You win if you can guess the exact second I picked. That’s how unlikely hitting the jackpot is,” said Chartier.
For this reason, the numbers you choose do not actually affect your odds of winning, according to the mathematics expert.
Lucky lottery numbers – fact or fiction?
The U.S. Sun spoke exclusively with professor of mathematics at Davidson College, Tim Chartier, who revealed the truth behind lucky numbers.
Scooping up a jackpot prize in a lottery game such as Powerball or Mega Millions involves correctly guessing a series of numbers.
Many players swear by certain numbers, sticking with digits such as birthdays, anniversaries, or ages – but do these numbers statistically carry the luck that players believe they do?
According to Chartier, they do.
“I think a number is lucky if you have fun playing it and it improves your experience of winning,” he said.
“The big lotteries are, statistically speaking, a chance to dream of being a multi-millionaire or even billionaire. If playing a certain number heightens that experience, then yes!”
However, the lottery expert clarified that aside from the feel-good implications of playing your “lucky numbers,” no number is truly lucky when it comes to the lottery.
“All numbers are equally likely,” said Chartier.
He explained that even though all numbers are equally likely, some may seem to appear more often.
For example, rolling a six-sided die six times does not guarantee that you will roll each number exactly once.
One of the best ways to statistically increase your chances of scoring a lottery win is to purchase more tickets, although winning is still a shot in the dark, according to Chartier.
“Buying 10 tickets does improve your chances tenfold, but it’s like getting 10 guesses for that one second in nine years: you’ve gone from extremely unlikely to… still extremely unlikely,” he said.
In the off chance that you do scoop a lottery win, the odds of having a greater prize amount increase if the numbers you picked were random, as this lowers the likelihood that you will have to share your winnings.
People frequently choose numbers that have personal significance to them, such as birthdays, anniversaries, and ages, which often fall in similar number ranges, the math professor explained.
“Studies have shown that tickets with personal numbers are more likely to match others. You might still win, but you’ll be much more likely to have to split the prize,” he said.
As it relates to the Casino.org study, convenience stores with a larger percentage of shoppers who selected random numbers may show a higher average jackpot per win, said Chartier.
“The odds of any single ticket winning are the same – but the odds of that ticket being a sole winner go up when the numbers are truly random.”
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chase their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry, or depressed
If you or someone you know is struggling with gambling addiction, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700 or visit the National Council on Problem Gambling online.
The U.S. Sun previously spoke with Chartier about his easily-followed “rolldown” trick that won a couple millions – it’s all about the time you play.
He also shared a simple nine-word rule for winning big every time you play.
