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What are the Odds

The odds or chances of winning are very small. Odds are always against the bettor.

The “house” will always have the edge, and the more someone gambles, the more likely they will lose.

Your Big Chance:

Lotto 6/49:     1 in 14 million

Super 7:     1 in 21 million

So to win – you need to buy a ticket every day for 20,000 years

Slots machines, there are many different slots with varying jackpots and odds.  The payback on slot machines in Ontario  is 85% or better

The odds of winning the jackpot can vary from

1 in 4,096, or

1 in 33,554,00

Chance of being in a car accident or drowning:

1 in 20,000 

Dying from a flesh-eating bacteria disease

1 in 1 million

Being struck by lightening

1 in 240,000

Being killed by a venomous bite or sting

1 in 160,000 

Dying from failing down stairs or steps

1 in 6,330

Sources: British Columbia Partnership for Responsible Gambling;  Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. Lotteries;  COSTI Immigrant Services, “A Reference Manual on Problem Gambling for Newcomers Service Providers.”

Some people gamble because they think they can “beat the system” or because they feel lucky.

The laws of probability will ensure that if you do “get ahead”, you’ll eventually erase those gains if you keep playing.

Gambling Facts and Myths:

There are many myths about winning when you gamble.  According to the Responsible Gambling Council of Ontario, these are some of the more frequent ones:

Myth: I can see a pattern in the way the machine is paying out

Fact: Games are based on random event

Myth: If I keep playing, I will eventually win, get my money back

Fact: The longer one plays, the more one will lose

Myth: One has a better chance of winning at a slot machine by the entrance

Fact: Casinos have no control over the outcomes of the player’s game

Myth: I have discovered a winning system

Fact: People who have an inflated belief in their skills are a greater risk of developing a gambling problem.  They undervalue the impact of the things they can not control.