When you think about it, you need all the help you can get. So what are some of the lottery tips that previous winners used to get their hands on the grand prize?

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How many days are there in a month? Somewhere between 28 and 31, right? You might not think it, but it turns out that the number of days in a month has a lot to do with your chances of winning big, whether you play Mega Millions online or not. That’s because many people choose numbers for sentimental reasons, including special dates, anniversaries and birthdays. Because of the way the calendar works, people cannot select special dates above 31, meaning that overall, fewer people choose these numbers. Because winning Mega Millions numbers are chosen at random, you can increase your chances of being a sole winner by choosing larger numbers in your selection.

This doesn’t work for everybody though. Mavis Wanczyk won nearly $750 million in 2017 and claimed her choice of numbers was based on family birthdays. So mix it up when you play Mega Millions online!

Perhaps mind over matter can help you win. Cynthia Stafford from California who won more than $112 million, told ABC news that visualising herself winning was what made the difference. She claimed that the power of the subconscious mind is so great that it can influence lottery outcomes.

History is filled with people who claim to have won the jackpot, only to spend their lives in misery searching for a ticket that they will never find – because they washed it with their jeans or accidentally threw it away. Here’s a tip from previous winners: keep your ticket somewhere safe and treat it as if it is the most valuable thing in the world – it could well be worth millions.

Is there such a thing as a lucky number? Well, if you take a look at the history of Mega Millions results, you find that some numbers just seem to come up more often than others. According to data from Jackpot, both 16 and 32 are drawn more often than any other numbers, suggesting that there may be something unique about them. Whether it’s a statistical fluke or not, it is hard to ignore. Winners tend to choose these particular numbers.

Now that you have more insider lottery tips to help you the next time you play, which numbers will you play?

This article forms part of our Mega Millions Resource Centre.