Playing the lottery is one of the easiest ways to boost your chances of becoming a millionaire, and best of all, it requires little to no effort. Simply buy a ticket, pick your numbers, and wait to see whether luck is on your side. However, if you don’t have the time or energy to get down to the newsagents before the all-important digits are drawn, there are a few ways you can still be in with a chance at the jackpot without even leaving your sofa to grab a physical ticket.
Play online
All of the biggest lotteries offer a digital option. Most providers let you either pick your own numbers or have them randomly generated. It’s also up to you whether you want to play in one-off games, or set up a direct debit to have a weekly shot at the jackpot.
You can play alone, and have total control over all tickets and winnings, but to really boost your chances of success, you could consider joining an online lottery syndicate. This is a group which pools money together to buy tickets, then splitting their winnings depending on each person’s contribution. According to The National Lottery, syndicates typically win 20% of the top prizes across Lotto, EuroMillions, and EuroMillions UK Millionaire Maker draws. The more tickets you have in play, the more likely you are to be successful.
The only downside is that you’ll only be taking home a proportion of the total winnings, which might not be very much if the syndicate is too big. This is why many syndicate websites will limit the size of each group, such as Lotto Social, which caps at 49 people. Having a cap on your syndicate means that you’ll still walk away with a significant sum if yours wins the jackpot.
Bitcoin lotteries
Rather than playing a regular lottery, you could try a bitcoin version. For those who don’t know, bitcoin refers to a form of electronic cash which lets users make payments without passing through a central authority like a bank. One bitcoin (BTC) is currently worth over £7,300, with some lotteries offering a jackpot of up to 1,000 BTCs. If you are interested in this cryptocurrency, there are plenty of websites which include this form of the game, and the odds are often more favourable compared to traditional ones. For instance, Bitcoin Lotto is roughly 10 times easier to win than the EuroMillions.
Unlike most online lottery websites, you don’t need to create an account or provide any form of identification when playing with bitcoin. Simply purchase a ticket by providing your bitcoin wallet address. which the site uses to collect payment, and then pick your numbers. Even if you don’t use bitcoin, you may still be able to take part. Players can sometimes choose a cash equivalent to be paid directly into their bank account, or have the option to set up a bitcoin wallet there and then, depending on the game.
Instant win games
Instead of waiting around for a lottery draw, you can try and win some quick cash by playing an instant win game. These mainly comprise of scratch cards and interactive tactics but, unlike standard lotteries, results are pre-determined.
The prizes are generally lower, and can hugely vary between individual providers. What’s more, as there’s no rolling jackpot, this figure usually doesn’t change over time. However, there are still opportunities to receive a healthy sum this way. Michael Innes became a millionaire in 2015 after winning £1 million on an instant win game. Though many players enjoy the thrill of a televised build-up, this method is much better for those seeking instant gratification, or are simply too busy to monitor results from live draws.
