YOUR REAL CHANCES OF WINNING IT BIG THIS WEEK, I’M ANSWERING THIS QUESTION ARE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING THE LOTTERY BETTER WHEN THE JACKPOT IS RESET TO 20 MILLION? THE MEGA MILLIONS AND POWERBALL BOTH RESET TO 20 MILLION WHEN SOMEONE WINS, BUT WHEN THE JACKPOTS ARE EXTREMELY HIGH, IT SEEMS LIKE EVERYONE IS BUYING A TICKET. SO ARE YOUR ODDS OF WINNING BETTER WHEN IT’S LOWER THE PERSON’S CHANCES OF WINNING REMAIN THE SAME NO MATTER WHAT THE SIZE OF THE JACKPOT. WELL, THERE’S YOUR ANSWER. KNOW YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING ARE BETTER WHEN FEWER TICKETS ARE SOLD, BUT THEY DO INCREASE WHEN YOU BUY MORE TICKETS. WHEN THE JACKPOT GETS TO ABOUT THAT $500 MILLION MARK, WE SEE SALES DOUBLE WHAT WE NORMALLY ANTICIPATE, AND THEN WHEN IT REACHES THE BILLION DOLLAR LEVEL, WE’RE AT FOUR OR MORE TIMES WHAT WE NORMALLY SEE. SO THERE’S A LOT OF BUZZ, A LOT OF WHAT WE CALL FAIR WEATHER PLAYERS THAT COME IN AND WANT TO PLAY THE GAMES WHEN IT REACHES THOSE RECORD, RECORD LEVELS AND WHEN IT DOES REACH RECORD LEVELS, YOUR ODDS OF WINNING STAY THE SAME. BUT SOMETHING TO NOTE, ACCORDING TO MATH PROFESSOR TIM CHARTIER OF DAVIDSON COLLEGE, PICKING RANDOM NUMBERS VERSUS BIRTH DATES AND LUCKY NUMBERS DOES INCREASE YOUR CHANCES. PEOPLE ARE REALLY FOCUSED ON THOSE BIG JACKPOTS, BUT WHAT YOU GOT TO REMEMBER IS THESE GAMES HAVE A LOT OF OTHER PRIZES, INCLUDING A NICE $1 MILLION PRIZE THAT CAN BE DOUBLED INTO 2 MILLION, AND WE’VE ACTUALLY HAD 7 MILLION OR MORE DOLLAR WINNER PRIZES OFFERED IN THE LAST FISCAL YEAR, HARVILL SAYS. REMEMBER, YOU HAVE TO PLAY TO WIN THE KENTUCKY LOTTERY FUNDS THE KY SCHOLARSHIPS AND WORK READY PROGRAM AT COMMUNITY COLLEGES, AS WELL AS THE DUAL CREDIT PROGRAMS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. SO WHEN YOU PLAY THE LOTTERY, YOU’RE SUPPORTING EDUCATION. REMEMBER, IF YOU WANT TO ASK ME A QUESTION, SUBMIT IT ON MY