Read these 7 easily-forgotten playing tips before you buy your next lottery ticket
/
If you want to be a successful winner like Powerball winner Neal Wanless, follow these make-or-break tips.
Here are 7 essential tips you should be thinking about - both before and after you play your lottery game:
BEFORE PLAYING
1 - Keep your tickets in a pouch or folder. I was standing behind a lady this morning who pulled out a very crumpled lottery ticket. It had to be put through the machine twice because it couldn't be read properly. Your tickets have to last a while, so make sure they are protected. I use a custom cover provided from the lottery store.
2 - Double check to see that you have entered all the numbers correctly and that you have the right number of tickets. One player forgot to tear up his test ticket and paid for two sets of numbers - a waste of play money.
3 - Make sure you have left enough time to play before the game's deadline. This post is an excellent example of how one player lost $27 million by not meeting the deadline. Yes, $27 million!
4 - Member of a private syndicate? Ensure you have rules of play and ownership clearly agreed before you buy the tickets. Here's a sample lotto syndicate agreement you can use.
AFTER PLAYING
5 - Get your tickets checked by the retailer, even if you only have a few. The risk of getting the numbers wrong and missing out on a prize is too great.
6 - Get the tickets back from the retailer, particularly if they are winning tickets. This will help you if any confusion over the ticket numbers arises.
7 - If you have winning tickets of any value, keep them in a safe place. The best place is in a bank safe, but sometimes that's not always possible - if you win in the weekend for example. Here are 21 places that ticket burglars are unlikely to search in your home:
Inside toys in your children's bedroom.
Inside a book. Remember the page number!
In the back of a framed picture, between the picture and the backing board.
Rolled up inside a coffee cup, on a top shelf.
Under a home entertainment center. Use a shifting trolley to lift it.
Inside fake electrical outlets.
In a CD/DVD case.
Taped to your chest.
In heating and AC ducts.
In a hollowed out space in furniture.
Behind baseboards.
Under floorboards.
Inside the top of a hollowed-out door.
Buried in house plant soil in a plastic bag.
In the pocket of a coat hanging in your wardrobe.
Buried in the garden.
Inside a false pipe in the basement.
Inside the service panel of your washing machine or dryer.
Taped under low fixtures, shelves etc.
In waterproof containers in the toilet water tank or dehumidifier.
In a plastic bag inside coffee, flour, rice tins.
