Do you buy a lottery ticket every year in the hope that you will never have to work again? To be honest: there is little chance that you will actually win.
The lottery
He who does not dare, he who does not win. That’s what they say, but there is some truth in it. If you don’t buy a ticket at all, you can never win the lottery. Most people know what they would do with the money: take a long trip, buy a house, quit their job and retire early or pay off that large debt. But is dreaming about those millions in the bank account really worth it?
Small chance
The chance of being struck by lightning in the Netherlands is three times greater than the chance of winning the lottery jackpot. Last year, during the 2022 New Year’s Eve draw, more than seven million tickets were sold. Of course, only one can win, so that left the odds of winning the jackpot at 1 in 7.08 million, or 0.00000014 percent.
These chances are greater to…
The chance of winning the jackpot is therefore very small. So small, in fact, that you are more likely to experience things that seem very unlikely to you. To put it into perspective: in the Netherlands you are more likely to be struck by a lightning bolt, to guess the correct code for a debit card found within three tries, or to find a pearl in an oyster. There is also a greater chance that you will roll six eight times in a row with a dice and win twenty-one times in a row in the casino at a roulette table because you only bet on red or black.
Still win?
If you are the lucky one who wins the jackpot of the New Year’s Eve draw, make sure you stay indoors during thunderstorms, and make a trip to the casino to sit at the roulette table. Lucky people know that those chances are greater.
