LOTTERY REACHES A SWEET SPOT

Here’s a wild Lotto Plus maths fact.

With the jackpot estimated at $20.2 million, it has climbed above the amount theoretically needed to purchase every possible Lotto Plus number combination.

Lotto Plus has 3,246,320 possible combinations when five numbers from 1–35 are combined with the 10 possible Powerball numbers.

At $5 per play, buying every combination would cost:

$16,231,600.

That means if someone somehow managed to purchase every unique combination, they would be guaranteed to possess the jackpot-winning combination.

And it gets more interesting.

The person would also hold thousands of tickets winning smaller prize categories. Based on the published prize structure and allowing for the applicable tax and prize-pool rules, our calculation puts the total return at roughly $19.25 million if that person were the sole jackpot winner.

Subtract the $16.23 million spent buying the tickets, and the theoretical profit would be approximately:

$3 MILLION

But there is one massive catch.

You are guaranteed to have the winning numbers, but you are NOT guaranteed to be the only winner.

If another player happens to hold the same jackpot combination, the jackpot would have to be shared. At $20.2 million, splitting it with even one other jackpot winner would destroy the profit and potentially leave the all-combinations buyer millions of dollars in the red.

There is also the enormous practical challenge of actually purchasing, printing, checking and safely storing more than 3.2 million wagers before ticket sales close.

So don’t rush to the Lotto booth with $16 million just yet.

It isn’t guaranteed free money — but mathematically, the current jackpot creates a fascinating situation:

Buy every combination and you’re guaranteed to have the winning numbers. Be the ONLY jackpot winner, and the maths could leave you roughly $3 million ahead.