Over the years, many internet users have shared their methods for winning big with scratch-off lottery tickets from the gas station.
For example, some have claimed that one should only buy lottery tickets with a white line on them. However, there is little evidence to substantiate the theory these are more likely to win. Others have advised internet users on which lottery tickets to pick, or how they can look up the lottery odds in their state to find the ticket with the highest chances of success.
Which ticket this attendant says you should buy
In a video with over 632,000 views, a woman claimed a gas station attendant told her to buy a specific ticket.
TikTok user Nina (@zinninafloral) says that she went to a gas station and bought several scratch-off lottery tickets along with a Diet Coke.
While she had originally wanted the Triple Gold Cherries and Lotteria, she says that the attendant advised her to go with “number 13” instead of Lotteria. This ticket is what the TikToker calls the “Silver Payout.”
“She was like, ‘Yeah, like, people have been winning on it,’” Nina recalls. “And I was like ‘OK. Really?’ And she goes, ‘Remember me if you win.’ And I said…’When I win, I’ll come back here and cash it in.’”
In a follow-up video, the TikToker reveals that her ticket was not a winner on that occasion. That said, she purchased the Lotteria and Silver Payout. This time, she actually won money.
“GUYS THE LADY DIDNT STEAR ME WRONG!” she wrote in the caption of the follow-up. “Spent $8, won $25 thats a good day!!”
@zinninafloral Lottery lady told me no & said I had to get number 13. Lets scratch & see if she was right. Lotteria is normally my go to but I felt like this was a SIGH✨✨ #lottery #scratchoffs #7eleven #signs #luck #grateful #relatable ♬ original sound – zinninafloral
@zinninafloral pt 2 from yesterday. GUYS THE LADY DIDNT STEAR ME WRONG! Spent $8, won $25 thats a good day!!! Her pick & mine this time ✨⭐️ #lottery #scratchoffticket #lotteryticket #wawa #7eleven #luck #relatable #wewon #signs #grateful #777 #111 ♬ original sound – zinninafloral
The truth about scratch-off lottery tickets
In reality, the only way to tell if a lottery ticket has a high chance of winning is by looking at its odds.
In the case of the Silver Payout, the New Jersey lottery website says that the ticket costs $5, and that “on the average, better than 1 ticket in 5 wins a prize.” Most of the available prizes are for $20 or less.
The idea that people have been frequently winning on a ticket means that one will also win on a ticket is incorrect. This is known as a form of Gambler’s Fallacy, where one believes that, because something has happened in the past, it is likely to happen again in the future. However, this is not true, as the odds for each ticket are individual and not directly influenced by previous purchases.
Commenters share their thoughts on the lottery
In the comments section, users revealed their thoughts on Nina’s videos as well as their own experience playing the lottery.
“If I ever win anything on em… I always give half to whomever sold it to me!” said a user.
“She definitely was trying to get rid of that game,” suggested another.
“Make sure u go online and look what has already been claimed and what’s still out there so u no not to waste ur money,” advised a third, referring to the lists of claimed prizes shown on state lottery websites.
The Daily Dot reached out to Nina via Instagram direct message.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
