Though the UK National Lottery maintains –and can fairly well support– the idea that its winners are more or less evenly distributed throughout the UK, there are bound to be some areas with more frequent wins than others, an interest in the postcode with the most happy surprises naturally surges each year as results are tallied. Both major and minor wins have been issuing from Kent and the North East recently, yet Ilford of Essex has presented itself as the leading source of UK winners, with one prize for every 6,772 ticket buyers.


Competing postcodes were Newcastle Upon Tyne, with a winner for every 6,884 punters, followed by Medway Towns. The competition is sure to become steep as rivaling postcodes ramp up for another year of rapid wins and whirlwind fortunes. With the release of the exciting statistics, the National Lottery was quick to remind its players that with over £36 billion paid out in prizes since 1994, and an average of twenty millionaires created in each postcode, the numbers are a poor reason to pack up and move to Ilford –or wherever the distinction of the UK’s “luckiest town” may travel next.

After all, lottery winning methods are rarely about analysing every possible variable and setting oneself up in the best position –a move that may only give a slight advantage in a game with famously challenging odds. Rather, winners most often find themselves pleasantly surprised at the outcome of their choice to give good old luck a chance.

Popularity: 10% [?]

The popularity of lottery games around the world, from the UK National Lottery to games in the most remote parts of the Earth, makes them a popular target for attempts at special feats and tricks, and the Singapore Lottery is no exception. The Asian country is gearing up for a special multi-day event in which two high-profile magicians will use a number of undisclosed methods to arrive at the winning numbers for a major lottery game.

The event is set to draw plenty of attention as the prediction will be noted down and encased in a series of complex and ostensible tamper-proof casings, with a final seal being placed on the contraption’s outer lock and a signature from the local lottery authority. The prediction, inside its various trappings, will be suspended in a public area for six days preceding the announcement of the winning lottery numbers, and will be checked only after the game has been completed.

Though there are many who are skeptical about the magic couple’s chances of striking a win, others are enthusiastic about the challenge. Whether the feat is successful or not, the team stands an excellent chance of being watched with keen eyes as they attempt one of the most dazzling and potentially rewarding tricks in the book. The sealing will took place on the 22nd of January, and interested citizens will be able to view the prediction on display until the lottery’s draw on the 27th.

Popularity: 14% [?]

Many places of work end up playing host to lottery syndicates; a natural environment for picking numbers and rallying group support, the workplace has served as a central source for lottery syndicates playing the UK National Lottery for quite some time. Recently, a workplace syndicate made headlines with its landmark EuroMillions win –and just in time for the holidays, another group has snagged a respectable £2.5 million. The syndicate, which is believed to consist of six men, was based at a Norther Irish factory, though specific details about the identity of the winers have not been forthcoming.

The winners have stated that they’d prefer to remain anonymous in order to preserve their privacy as well as the privacy of their families. Whoever the winners are, they’ve doubtless inspired hope for scores of other workplace syndicates, many of which enjoy years –if not decades– of steady operation. An attractive choice for improving chances of winning the lottery, syndicates have become increasingly popular in recent years as players become more attuned to the winning method’s potential benefits.

With an end-of-year boost of nearly half a million pounds for each member, the syndicate likely experienced an especially merry holiday season, and may be entering the New Year with plenty of lofty goals. As the holiday season comes to a close, man syndicates across the country are bound to see this Northern Irish success story as a reminder that persistence can pay off.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Though most people who play the UK National Lottery on a regular basis are likely to have a preferred set of numbers for trying their luck at jackpots, there are some numbers that are necessarily picked more often than others. Whether players choose to work with the so-called luckiest numbers in the lottery or stay the course with their favorites, checking in on the numbers that were drawn the most –and the least– over the course of the last year can yield some fun surprises. The results of 2009’s luckiest and unluckiest lottery numbers have been released, and statistics for the past 15 years have also been compiled, tempting many to examine whether their picks were among the most likely to win.

For 2009, the most frequently-drawn numbers in the UK National Lottery were 39, 9, 31, 23, and 36. Typically considered to be a lucky number with superstitious significance, 7 tied with 15 for the unluckiest numbers of the year, followed by 14, 22, 29, and 12. Since the game began 15 years ago, the luckiest numbers as a whole have been 38, 23, 31, 11, 43, and 25. The least lucky numbers over the course of the UK lottery’s operation have been 20, 41, 13, 16, 21, and 15. Here’s to hoping those on the lottery’s least-drawn list enjoy some extra attention and help create plenty of new millionaires in the coming year.

Popularity: 14% [?]

Many UK National Lottery players and fans of other games have particular methods they prefer for picking numbers, but the traditions in some parts of the world pertaining to picks may come as quite a surprise. In South Africa, players have typically enjoyed winning methods enhanced by “muti,” or traditional medicine. Recently, however, these traditions have come under fire as conservationists and other concerned parties point to the potential for extinction of South African vulture species.

How do vultures figure into the picture? The birds are trapped, poisoned, and otherwise poached in a bid to obtain their heads, which are sold to traditional healers and other clients. The brains are extracted, dried, and mixed with mud into cigarettes, which are then smoked –and enjoying such a smoke is said to disclose the winning lottery numbers to whoever inhales. The practice may be shocking to some who are fare more used to a bit of math or perhaps some superstition to help in the selection of their numbers, or may simply seem like a bizarre idea from faraway lands to others. But to those hoping to help the vultures enjoy a lengthy tenure in South Africa, the practice of poaching vultures and harvesting their brains for the sake of lotto number visions is a decidedly negative one. If current trends continue, conservationists expect the birds to be extinct within twenty to thirty years –with not too many millionaires made meanwhile.

Popularity: 7% [?]