(WWLP) – After the Mega Millions jackpot was raised to $830 million with a cash option of $487.9 million, some may wonder how to increase their odds of winning.

The jackpot has increased significantly after a winner has not been announced in three months. This is now the nation’s fourth largest jackpot.

22News spoke to Springfield College Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science Andrew Perry on how he believes the lottery is random.

“If the lottery is truly random as it purports to be, then the probability of hitting the jackpot with each ticket is exactly 1 in 302,575,360. Conceivably it’s not as random as the lottery would have us believe and there is some kind of flaw in the way they draw the balls, but I believe that it’s in fact truly random,” Perry expressed.

Perry explained why buying multiple tickets at once is one of the ways to increase your chances of winning. “If you buy 100 tickets, for example, then your odds are about one in 3 million instead of 1 in 300 million. If you don’t want to share the prize, try to pick numbers that aren’t likely to be picked by anyone else,” Perry explained,” he said.

A previous winner of a $3 million Mega Millions jackpot, James Griffin, of Winthrop, matched the first five winning numbers while playing the Megaplier option four years ago, according to Massachusetts Lottery spokesperson Christian Teja. Griffin’s method was choosing the winning numbers based on family members’ birthdays.

Griffin chose to use special days to help him decide his lottery numbers, but this can leave the rest of the board empty due to only playing numbers 1 to 31. According to casino.org, by spreading your numbers you’re in better luck to win.

“Picking 1-2-3-4-5 with the white balls is probably not a good idea. You’ll still be just as likely to win the jackpot but common patterns like that are more likely to split the jackpot. Joining a lottery syndicate (in other words, teaming up with other people) is a reasonable plan to increase your odds of sharing in a jackpot,” added Perry.

When it comes to the lottery it is best to stick to a budget to avoid overspending, according to Perry. Perry says, “however you play, there’s a high probability of losing all your money. I would advise people not to risk money that they can’t afford to lose.”

Massachusetts Lottery Results >>

The “Mega Millions” is a $2 ticket offered in 45 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The next drawing will be held on Tuesday, July 26th at 11:00 p.m. ET.

“When playing Mega Millions, Megabucks Doubler and other lottery games, we encourage people to keep the experience enjoyable by playing responsibly and within their means,” said Mark William Bracken, Interim Executive Director of the Massachusetts State Lottery.

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