Lottery expert reveals the luckiest $20 scratch cards to buy this month

A former Wells Fargo banker who gave up town to create a “lottery algorithm” has revealed the top ten $20 scratch cards with the best odds of winning this month.

Jared James founded Lotto Edge in 2019 – a website that helps avid players determine their chances of winning on various scratch cards and games.

James, from South Carolina, came up with the idea after realizing that sellers keep selling scratch cards even after the main prize has been won.

He then used his background in banking and finance to develop an algorithm that attempts to predict which cards and tickets offer players the greatest chance of winning at any given time.

And to boost users’ luck, he’s put together the ten luckiest $20 scratch cards across the country with the best overall odds of winning a prize in May.

The card that came out on top was the “Extreme Crossword” card sold in Kansas that offers players the chance to win up to $150,000.

According to James’ algorithm, they offer a one in 2.34 chance of winning.

The cards have a one in 2.4 and one in 2.51 chance of winning.

A “Break the Bank” card – sold in Oklahoma – and a “Gold Rush Limited” – in Florida – ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, with the former offering a $250,000 prize and the latter $500,000.

The ranking assesses the ticket’s overall chance of winning a prize – not necessarily the jackpot.

Maps in Oklahoma made up three of the top ten maps, while Iowa sells two of the listed maps.

James said that he was always interested in the lottery from a young age and later on used his background in banking and finance to develop his business.

His site performs “thousands of calculations” to rank the top scratchers based on data on how many people have already bought tickets.

His company exploded in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic as employees spent more time at home.

And the lottery fever has only increased in recent months amid a spate of mega-jackpot headlines.

In February, player Edwin Castro collected a record $2 billion jackpot and he has already splashed two California mansions and a vintage Porsche.

But James says winners should be careful about spending too quickly.

“Obviously when people win the lottery, they’re tempted to spend it all,” he told Dailymail.com.

“And what we encourage winners to do is scratch that urge first. We recommend that people allocate a small portion of their profits – maybe around 5 percent – and use that as their splurge money.

‘Then it’s time to think about saving and investing.’

In the US, lottery winners are given the option of receiving their jackpot all at once or via ‘annuities’ – annual payments spread over a period of time.

For Powerball and Mega Millions winners, this period is typically 29 years.

The lump sum options are often less money in the long run and can have greater tax implications.

On Monday, single mom Lerynne West made headlines after revealing how taking the lump sum option wiped out half the value of her $343.9 million jackpot. She ended up with $140.6 million.

And that’s why James often advises people to take the annuity option.

“A lot of people just want to take the money out all at once because they can put it into their own investments and make more money in the long run,” he said.

“But what people actually underestimate is the value of those regular payments over 30 years.

“There’s a lot of stability in having such a consistent cash flow.

“The biggest concern people have with that option is, what happens when I die? But the lottery will continue to deposit the money into your estate, so it goes to your loved ones.”