The bizarre ritual of two lottery players waiting in a supermarket car park

When do you buy your tickets for the next lotto game? Some players buy early in the week. They like to put the task out of the way so they won't get sidetracked, and they can then relax until the draw.

Others will buy on the day as close to the draw closing time as possible. These players tell themselves it adds to the excitement.

But some players believe playing very close to the deadline.

And here is such a story... strange but true.

Camelot Group head office in Watford, UK.

A writer at a finance website used to work for a large lottery operator in Britain, thought to be Camelot Group which runs the National Lottery.

During her time there she met a variety of people who believed the oddest lottery myths.

She said they ranged from the mild to the just plain weird.

And the couple she saw took the prize for the oddest playing behaviour.

"This was truly the most bizarre myth I encountered during my time at the lottery." she recounted.

"A couple would spend every draw day evening sitting in the supermarket car park."

"At 7.28pm on the dot, they'd dash into the store and purchase their lottery tickets speedily ahead of the 7.30pm deadline."

"I was baffled by this bizarre ritual, and asked them why they did this."

They said buying their tickets so close to the cut-off point would mean that their numbers were at the 'top of the pile' and were much more likely to be picked.

In other words, it sounded logical to the couple who were doing it, but the fact is - it was not a sensible theory. Every tickets gets an equal time, no matter when they were bought before the deadline.

So when do we recommend you buy your tickets?

Buy late. But remember - there is a risk. The weather may hold you up, or you may have a last-minute problem that stops you getting down to the store.

But these interruptions are quite rare.

The advantage is buying late is the same reason that banks take days to transfer your money... they make money by using it right up to the last moment.

So by buying late - you get to keep your own money in your pocket until the very last minute.

That way, if you have an emergency before that time and need your lottery money backup to pay for it, you've got the funds to see you through.