Best Lottery to Play

What Is Expected Ticket Value?

Expected Value (EV) of a lottery ticket is the average amount you would receive per ticket if you played indefinitely.

For each prize category of the lottery, we multiply the prize amount by the probability of winning it, then sum the results across all categories. The total is the expected value of one ticket.

Return percentage shows what fraction of the ticket price you get back on average. For example, a 50% return means that for every 100 invested, you receive 50 back on average.

How the Calculation Works

The following steps are performed for each lottery:

1. For each prize category, the probability of winning is calculated using combinatorial formulas (binomial coefficients) based on the lottery rules: number of balls in the drum, number of drawn balls, number of fields.
   Formula: P = C(k, m) × C(n − k, p − m) / C(n, p), where n — total balls, k — drawn, p — player picks, m — must match. For lotteries with multiple fields, probabilities are multiplied.
2. The prize amount is multiplied by the probability — yielding the category's contribution to expected value.
3. For the grand prize (jackpot), the current amount from upcoming draw data is used.
4. All contributions are summed — this is the ticket's expected value.
5. Return percentage = expected value ÷ ticket price × 100%.

The best lottery to play by expected value is Большое Спортлото with a return of 72.4%.