Believe it or not, the lottery is very well controlled and was created to collect more money for the state and government, meaning that if the government could tax you more they would but they can not, so they created the lotto as another form of collecting. All the lotteries across the country are controlled by an organization that intelligently distributes the monetary with some type of rational (state, city, zipcode, or areacode). Lets take for instance, the "Pick 3". If 3000 tickets were sold with the same number in state, that number will definetly not show. If 50 tickets were sold with the same number, that number will not show because it would not balance out with lottery sales, and each state has a quantum to meet. If 350-750 tickets with the same number sold, then that number will most likely show if the quantum has been met. Now, bigger jackpots such as the MEGAMILLIONS, POWERBALL, EUROMILLIONS, etc. are controlled by a much higher power than the government. This organization controls all monetary worldwide and determines which country, state, and city needs it for there infrastructure, usually the most populated. "They" do not care who will win, just as long as the winning ticket is sold in the chosen location of their choice. So in conclusion, if you want to win any type of lottery, its just a matter of being at the right place at the right time.