The casting of lots to determine fates and distribute property has a long record in human history, including several instances in the Bible. During the American Revolution, Benjamin Franklin held a lottery to raise money for cannons to protect Philadelphia against British attack. Lotteries became common in the United States, where they played a large role in financing public projects, such as roads, canals, colleges, churches, libraries, and military expeditions.

In the early 1800s, Thomas Jefferson sponsored a private lottery in an attempt to ease his crushing debts and to finance a plantation, but it was unsuccessful. Lotteries were also a popular way for governments to raise revenue. For example, the Dutch state-owned Staatsloterij began in 1726. The word “lottery” is derived from the Dutch noun lut, meaning “fate.”

There are many different strategies to winning a lottery. A common one is to select numbers that are less likely to be picked by other players, like birthdays or sequential digits (1-2-3-4-5-6). Another method is to chart the random outside numbers on the ticket and look for groups of singletons. A group of singletons indicates a winning ticket 60-90% of the time. To find out how many singletons there are, draw a mock-up of the ticket on a sheet of paper and fill in “1” in each space where you see a digit that repeats. Then, count how many times the digit appears on the ticket. A low number of repeated digits is good, and a high number is bad.

To increase your chances of winning, play smaller games with less participants. For instance, try a state pick-3 game instead of Powerball or Mega Millions. Also, try to avoid picking personal numbers like children’s ages or your own birthdays because other people are more likely to choose them as well. This increases the likelihood of a multi-winner, and you’ll have to share the prize with them.

Khristopher J. Brooks writes about economics and business for CBS MoneyWatch. He has previously worked for the Omaha World-Herald, Newsday and the Florida Times-Union. His reporting primarily focuses on the U.S. housing market, sports and bankruptcy.

Lottery advertising often touts the benefits of winning, and it can be hard to resist the temptation to buy a ticket. But beware: if you’re not careful, the lottery can become an expensive habit. Research shows that those with lower incomes are more likely to gamble and spend money on lottery tickets than those with higher incomes. So before you buy a ticket, be sure to weigh the risks against your income and savings goals. And if you do play, remember that the odds of winning are astronomical. The best strategy is to play a small amount each week and use proven lottery tactics to maximize your chances of winning. Good luck!