Know the odds

You may play the Ohio Lottery, but how well do you Know the Odds? Put your knowledge to the test as we bust common lottery myths, below.

Myth 1: How the odds work

If an Ohio Lottery Scratch-Off game has one in four odds, how many tickets in a row would you have to buy to guarantee a win? The answer may surprise you.

If the overall odds of winning are 1 in 4, that does not mean that every fourth ticket wins a prize. Rather, it means that if you were to buy all of the millions of tickets available in that game, about 1 in 4 of them would win a prize, with winning tickets randomly distributed throughout the entire print of tickets statewide, not just one book of tickets.

Myth 2: Bigger city, bigger wins

Does playing in a big city really mean you have a better chance of winning? Let’s find out.

Winning tickets can be sold anywhere, from the largest city to the smallest. A city may have more winners because more people play, but every ticket has the same odds no matter where you buy it. Lottery games are truly random, and it only takes one ticket to win. The number of winning tickets is proportional to the total sales of each location, therefore, the more sales, the more winning tickets.

Myth 3: Bigger jackpot means worse odds

When the Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots are sky-high, many players believe their odds are lower. Watch this video and learn the truth.

The odds are always the same, no matter how big the jackpot. Odds are solely based on the total possible number combinations that can be drawn. The odds of each game remain the same, no matter how many people are buying tickets.

Myth 4: My odds are better when…

It's the first ticket in the pack, the last one, your birthday, your lucky numbers – when do you think the odds are better or worse – or do they even change? Click play and learn the truth about these common myths.

The truth is none of these things change your odds. Luck isn’t tied to a date—your chances are the same whether it’s Friday the 13th or your lucky day! The winning tickets are randomly generated throughout the game and are not front loaded in any game or in any pack of tickets. You have the same chance of winning when the game is first launched or near the end of the game’s life cycle and you have the same chance when buying from the beginning of the pack or at the end of a pack of tickets.