Winning the Lottery Isn't All About Luck

LONDON, March 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Positive Thought and Personality Play a Big Part Too

We know that lotteries are all about luck, but new research from  WinTrillions, the world's largest lottery website, suggests there may actually be something in the old saying that you 'make your own luck'.

WinTrillions researchers quizzed 100 lottery fans on their character and how they viewed the likelihood of winning a lottery prize, It seems that people with a positive attitude and a 'glass half full' personality have more good luck on national lottery games than those with a pessimistic outlook on life, winning more money, more often.

"It was really interesting to see that people with a negative viewpoint who are accident-prone and unlucky in love are also less likely to win the lottery," said Lucy Gold, spokesperson for WinTrillions. "Our first reaction to this finding was that if they don't think they're going to win they'll play less, but it turned out they actually play more in the hope of a win."

The WinTrillions research showed that less lucky people play lotteries as a routine, while those who consider themselves to be lucky are more likely to take advantage of one-off opportunities, such as a big-money EuroMillions rollover draw or an annual raffle like Spain's El Gordo. People who don't think of themselves as lucky are also more likely to play in a syndicate as it gives them more chances to win.

"There is no definitive answer to this, but it would seem that certain characteristics can make someone feel lucky and be lucky," added Lucy. "For example, unlucky people tend to be more tense so they may miss out on opportunities that other people spot, such as a lottery game with great odds. Lucky people tend to follow their intuition and they're more willing to take a chance, even if the odds are stacked against them."