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Tone43

Los Angeles California
United States
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June 10, 2022
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Yesterday, 10:58 pm

Do people wait for the jackpot to get bigger before they start buying a lot of tickets
ayenowitall

United States
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April 22, 2004
1,277 Posts
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Today, 7:33 am

I know of people who do wait for the jackpot to get bigger. I've also had people tell me that they only play on weekends because they think nobody wins on weekdays. Personally, I play whenever I get the urge. "Only" $20,000,000 could make a big difference in my life.

Color me GONE! 💨
winoneday

Canada
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April 14, 2014
869 Posts
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Today, 7:40 am

Our pool waits for the jackpot to get large before buying tickets. Makes sense, since we will be splitting the jackpot many ways.
GiveFive

Florida's West Coast
United States
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June 10, 2010
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Today, 8:31 am

I play for a second place win so I don't care what amount the jackpot is. G5

Play Smart! That's IF there is such a thing as playing smartly!!
JADELottery

Eagle Sun

IA, MN, WI
United States
Member #21
December 7, 2001
5,239 Posts
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Today, 8:42 am

Yep, Wait and let the Jackpot Zombies & Junkies build it up...
Then, swoop in near the Billion Dollars and snatch it right out of their fidgety little fingers...

The One Over None
I Know...
hearsetrax

United States
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May 21, 2007
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Today, 8:46 am

Quote: Originally posted by JADELottery on Nov 12, 2026
Yep, Wait and let the Jackpot Zombies & Junkies build it up...
Then, swoop in near the Billion Dollars and snatch it right out of their fidgety little fingers...

couldn't have put it better myself LOL
JustMaybe

us
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January 2, 2023
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Today, 10:50 am

Quote: Originally posted by Tone43 on Nov 11, 2026
Do people wait for the jackpot to get bigger before they start buying a lot of tickets

"Do people wait for the jackpot to get bigger before they start buying a lot of tickets"
It would be helpful to define what "a lot of tickets" is.
Is it 3, 5, 10, 20 or more?
I mostly buy one ticket a draw. After the past jackpot was won, I bought a 10 multi draw ticket when the prize reset to $20M.
When the jackpot is over $500M, sometimes I do add on my tickets, I get 2 to 5 tickets for $10 max, nothing crazy.
So if a lot of tickets means 20 or 30 or 50 a draw, nope, I don't. But if it's anything more than one ticket, then yes I do sometimes.

I believe winning the lottery jackpot is a 💯 % factor of luck.

May Fortuna, goddess of chance or lot vindicate me.
ayenowitall

United States
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April 22, 2004
1,277 Posts
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Today, 11:01 am

Quote: Originally posted by JADELottery on Nov 12, 2026
Yep, Wait and let the Jackpot Zombies & Junkies build it up...
Then, swoop in near the Billion Dollars and snatch it right out of their fidgety little fingers...

I know a lot of people who play by that philosophy, but so far, they haven't succeeded at the part where they swoop in and snatch the huge jackpot. 🤷‍♂️
JADELottery

Eagle Sun

IA, MN, WI
United States
Member #21
December 7, 2001
5,239 Posts
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Today, 11:14 am

Quote: Originally posted by ayenowitall on Nov 12, 2026
I know a lot of people who play by that philosophy, but so far, they haven't succeeded at the part where they swoop in and snatch the huge jackpot. 🤷‍♂️

Claiming Anonymously makes impossible to know who's swooping who.
It happened and we'll never know.

The One Over None
I Know...
tokecap

Sao Paulo
United States
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June 10, 2014
13,681 Posts
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Today, 11:23 am

Quote: Originally posted by Tone43 on Nov 11, 2026
Do people wait for the jackpot to get bigger before they start buying a lot of tickets

When a jackpot resets to its starting floor (such as $20 million), ticket sales sit at a flat baseline driven almost entirely by habitual "die-hard" players. The vast majority of casual buyers wait on the sidelines until rollovers push the prize past a psychological threshold.

In lottery economics, demand does not grow linearly with the prize; it follows a nonlinear, exponential curve:
The Baseline Floor ($20M – $100M): Sales remain low and relatively flat. Regular players buy their usual 1–2 tickets per draw regardless of the prize, while casual players ignore the game.

Psychological Thresholds ("Tipping Points"): Once rollovers push the jackpot past round psychological milestones (historically $100 million, and today often $300M–$500M+ for major multi-state games), ticket sales accelerate sharply. Crossing a threshold triggers media coverage, office pools, and FOMO (fear of missing out), bringing in millions of infrequent buyers.

Why Players Wait (Expected Value & Attention): Mathematically, the odds of winning never change, so buying a $2 ticket for a $20 million prize offers a far worse expected value (EV) per dollar spent than buying that same $2 ticket when the jackpot rolls over to $500 million. Even though most players aren't calculating EV, they instinctively treat a $20 million jackpot as "not worth the trip to the store" compared to headline-grabbing rollovers.

The "Halo Effect": The one exception to low baseline sales happens immediately after a massive jackpot is won. For one or two draws after a reset, sales stay artificially elevated because people cash in small secondary prizes from the giant draw and roll those winnings into new tickets.

The exact same behavioral pattern happens in Brazil.
Tone43

Los Angeles California
United States
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June 10, 2022
406 Posts
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Today, 12:06 pm

Wow!
that is a very detailed explanation
thank you for clarifying
by the way I'm a die hard buyer. I buy whether it's low or high
Tone43

Los Angeles California
United States
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June 10, 2022
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Today, 12:09 pm

For me. A lot of tickets would be more than 10 tickets per week , $20 total per week , that's my spending budget , whether the jackpot is low or high

for others who have a much larger budget to work with would buy more
so the phrase (a lot)depends on your budget

thank you for that question. It was a good question.
Jackpot777

Washington
United States
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August 13, 2026
242 Posts
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Today, 1:39 pm

I recently changed how often I play, but it has never been at $20 million. That was the starting jackpot when tickets were $1 and part of their selling point for the $2 ticket price was starting at $40 million.
At the moment, I'm only playing Lotto. In the past, when choosing between Mega Millions and Powerball, I'd buy a ticket for whichever had the larger jackpot. If both jackpots were high, I'd play both.
Also, it's never a good idea to buy a lot of tickets. Been there, done that.

Win that JACKPOT and claim it anonymously!
Not allowed? See my flier about remaining anonymous: https://www.lotterypost.com/thread/361822
I stopped playing Mega Millions and Powerball in Washington because of privacy concerns.
MsBee18

Florida
United States
Member #186,779
January 2, 2018
591 Posts
Online

Today, 2:15 pm

Quote: Originally posted by tokecap on Nov 12, 2026
When a jackpot resets to its starting floor (such as $20 million), ticket sales sit at a flat baseline driven almost entirely by habitual "die-hard" players. The vast majority of casual buyers wait on the sidelines until rollovers push the prize past a psychological threshold.

In lottery economics, demand does not grow linearly with the prize; it follows a nonlinear, exponential curve:
The Baseline Floor ($20M – $100M): Sales remain low and relatively flat. Regular players buy their usual 1–2 tickets per draw regardless of the prize, while casual players ignore the game.

Psychological Thresholds ("Tipping Points"): Once rollovers push the jackpot past round psychological milestones (historically $100 million, and today often $300M–$500M+ for major multi-state games), ticket sales accelerate sharply. Crossing a threshold triggers media coverage, office pools, and FOMO (fear of missing out), bringing in millions of infrequent buyers.

Why Players Wait (Expected Value & Attention): Mathematically, the odds of winning never change, so buying a $2 ticket for a $20 million prize offers a far worse expected value (EV) per dollar spent than buying that same $2 ticket when the jackpot rolls over to $500 million. Even though most players aren't calculating EV, they instinctively treat a $20 million jackpot as "not worth the trip to the store" compared to headline-grabbing rollovers.

The "Halo Effect": The one exception to low baseline sales happens immediately after a massive jackpot is won. For one or two draws after a reset, sales stay artificially elevated because people cash in small secondary prizes from the giant draw and roll those winnings into new tickets.

The exact same behavioral pattern happens in Brazil.

The phenomenon is attributed after a billion dollar jackpot is won. The Powerball for example is usually won after at the jackpot reset or one new rollover after 20 million. The frenzy spills over to the following draws.
wander73

Philadelphia, PA
United States
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March 24, 2014
13,158 Posts
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Today, 2:44 pm

Quote: Originally posted by Tone43 on Nov 11, 2026
Do people wait for the jackpot to get bigger before they start buying a lot of tickets

the algorithm. I def know for a fact. mm crazy wanting everyone to start paying the $5 per amt.

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