Big Money Money

Throughout 2017, I wanted to see what would the outcome be if I played the same set of numbers for the weekly lottery. What I found out was that I made a few winnings, some bigger than others. 52 weeks, that is $260 spent, is it worth the investment? Let's see how lucky I got.

Can you imagine?

The mission: to see how much one can win from playing the lottery, using the same six numbers. Where did I get the numbers? From a fortune of a fortune cookie - unfortunately, I lost that fortune within the year...

I played every week, including the weeks that I was away from home - I like to commit to my projects, okay?! There was one week where my mother purchased my ticket (thanks mother!) What I found out, were a few interesting methods of play:

• Most people (that being my Aunties and Grandma) let the system pick the numbers
• Other people will purchase numbers for a series of weeks (smart move)
• I am probably the only one who plays the same numbers (did no do research for that)

But buying a lotto seems to be a priority for most people. Whether it's one's hope to win big money, or routine, there is no doubt people continue this gambling practice. A few years ago, I found out that my mother and her siblings pitch in to buy a lottery ticket - an increased chance of winning, how strategic.

For those who are not familiar with the Lottery Corporation (BCLC for me), Lotto 649 is played every Wednesday and Saturday, with a cut-off time at 7:30PM both days... I was once told that the draw was done at 6:49PM, but that must have been a long time. To win the grand prize, about 79.9% or more of the jackpot, the odds are 1 in 13,983,816... You probably need to play both days if you really want to win. You can learn more about the odds of winning here.

Regardless of the chances, I went and purchased a ticket through different locations (majority from the Shoppers Drug Mart) and played along every week. I tried to get into the Wednesday draws as apposed to Saturday - maybe I felt like it is a lucky day? Regardless, here is what I won throughout 2017:

• 1X $85.10
• 2X $10.00
• 8X Free Plays
• 6X $1.00

Total Winnings: $135.10

In total, there were 17 wins from my numbers, as well as the free plays that I won. Assuming that Free Plays cost about $3 (the price of Lotto 649 and BC 649), I won a little more than half of my spendings... Needless to say, an overall loss.

My favourite time was when I won $85.10, but the cashier didn't have enough cash at his till... Well, if he paid attention instead of talking to his friend, he could have avoided the mess. Basically, the cashier had cash the whole time, but made me wait three hours to get my money (who cares about your cash float, anyway?).

So in total, I made back approximately 52% of what I spent - not exactly bad, but not good either. Although I am still playing the same numbers this year, I will be changing my numbers! I will not disclose what numbers, but this is the fortune:

YOU WILL MASTER ANY FEELING OF INADEQUACY YOU MAY BE HAVING

While I may not completely understand the fortune, I do hope its numbers will bring good fortune under the Year of the Dog - big money will be mine! What can I say? I am becoming my parents!

For more information about frequently drawn numbers, click here. I am not held liable in the event you begin a gambling addiction. Know your limit, play within it.