A LOTTO expert has revealed why punters should buy a £2 ticket every week if they want to scoop millions in a lottery jackpot.
Gambler Richard Brocklebank, known as The Squirrel, who has landed more than £14million for his syndicates, uses mathematics to calculate the odds and viability of any punts.
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His secret squirrel formula has identified the potential for profit from the National Lottery Must Be Won draws – like the New Year’s Eve £15m Rolldown draw.
Dad-of-two Richard, 56, from Hyde, Cheshire, said: “I was initially highly sceptical about the introduction of the ten extra balls, but they make the rollovers more likely, so there is a bit of value in Must Be Won draws.
“Under normal circumstances a £2 lottery ticket is expected to return a long-term average of less than 90p, but when you play a Must Be Won draw the expected value of the ticket can be actually greater than the £2 it costs, as when a jackpot of say £15m rolls down then all the lower prizes are enhanced.
“The higher cost of the £2 lottery ticket, up from the original £1, was another negative at first. But the introduction of extra prizes and the making of more millionaires has made it more appealing, and the rollovers are what rock my boat.
“The biggest bonanza for players though was the rule change that means the jackpot prize money in Must Be Won draws will spill down to other entrants if there is no outright winner, so you don’t need all six balls to get a decent profit.
“The guarantee that a National Lottery Must Be Won draw will pay out all that money rather than rolling it forward again means there is tremendous value to be had.
“The New Year’s Eve draw was a guaranteed £15m Must Be Won one, and as nobody picked all six main numbers correctly, the jackpot rolled down, enhancing the lower prizes significantly.
“Even a two-ball win paid £5 plus a Lucky Dip, and a three-ball win was enhanced from the usual £30 to a much more tasty £70.
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“On the basis of these mathematics the National Lottery Must Be Won draws are the value in what is generally the bad value world of lotteries.”
The Squirrel Syndicate’s biggest single Scoop6 return was in March 2009 when their selection Russian Trigger won the Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter for a then record bonus dividend of £3.1m.
- The maths maestro’s new book £3 Million In 3 Weeks – The Squirrel Syndicate – A Gambler’s Tale is currently available via www.squirrelbook.shop with a donation from every signed copy going to a children’s cancer charity.
- The title of the book relates to a remarkable run of good fortune that the Squirrel Syndicate began with a then record-breaking £1.5m on the Scoop6 in October 2007, followed by a further £424,000 the week after,and then a £1.1m then history-making bonus on the first Saturday in November 2007.
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chase their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry, or depressed
- Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org
For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.
