Did you miss the lottery jackpot because the planets were in the wrong alignment... er, no! Could it be that you did something bad and this is your punishment... er, no! I know, maybe you won a little bit last week so it really isn't your turn again just yet... no, No, NO!

The reason you didn't win the lottery jackpot, is simply because the lottery is just so damn hard to win. It may not look like that many combinations -- but when you do the hard math, your chances of winning are somewhere in the region of 1 in 13 million, depending on which lottery you play. Even worse for a Powerball type draw!

That's why you haven't won yet. FACT: it's the only reason.

So what can you do?

Well, here's my biggest, best, darkest lottery secret of them all. It's actually an utterly obvious technique to significantly improve your chances of winning the jackpot -- but only obvious in that "so obvious we just stop seeing it" kind of way.

Forgive me for it also sounding dull and uncomplicated -- no math degree required to understand this. But whatever you do, don't be blinded to the sheer value and importance of this under-appreciated fact. OK, here goes, brace yourself... Buy More Tickets. Whoa, there we go, I've said it. I've given away not only the best, but the ONLY way to improve your lottery chances, just like that. I must be crazy huh?

Well you could always just give me a weeks salary and I'll hide that fact in some complicated bewildering math and pretend it's a 'secret system'... OR, better yet, I could hide it in a piece of software and you could pay me double for that ;-)

OK, before I upset too many vendors of dodgy lottery 'systems', I'll take my tongue back out of my cheek!

Fact is, and big ugly fact it is too, but really the fact is -- the only way to increase your chances of winning the lottery jackpot is to cover more of the possible combinations in any one draw.

Think dice.

There are only 6 sides to a dice. So, just 6 possible results when you roll it.

If you only bet on one number, you have a 1 in 6 chance of winning. Bet on two numbers and you double your chances. Bet on all 6 numbers and you're a guaranteed winner. Woohoo.

OK, so no-one is going to give you a couple of million for guessing which number comes up on a dice. Unless you happen to be betting half a million or so along with five other people!

But, that's how the lottery works too. Buy two lines, and you really do double your chances. The jackpot odds are still horrendously against you of course -- but two lines in one draw is better than one line in two draws. (Makes my head hurt too when I think about it too long, but that statement is entirely correct).

Oooh, did you notice I let another little secret slip out there. Yes, playing less often but more lines does boost your overall chances of winning -- yet costs exactly the same. That's a wise way to play.

So why not play 20, 50, or a 1,000 lines in a draw?

Because that's pretty expensive, and you don't want to be risking the mortgage money on the lottery. Not if you want to come home to family harmony!

So what else can you do?

Form a syndicate. Get together with people at work, your social club, the neighbours or your family. Pool your lottery money together, and share your winnings. It costs you no more but your chances improve significantly. That's a wise way to play.

What if you don't know enough lottery players to make it worthwhile? Find a commercial syndicate that plays your lottery -- or plays another countries lottery (lotteries are pretty much the same the world over!).

Lottery Syndicate World lists and reviews lottery syndicates from all over the world. You'll certainly find the best syndicates currently available.

So make today the day you choose a wiser way to play. Then perhaps winning the lottery jackpot won't seem quite so 'out there'.