The Odds of Winning the Lottery

I just purchased my annual Heart & Stroke Lottery ticket that I will become a winner once again! My family members and friends often discuss their 6/49 tickets and Lottario, but for some reason I feel like I am wasting my money by purchasing the tickets every week.  One Heart and Stroke lottery ticket is $ 100.  In the past 10 years I have won 4 times!  Not huge prizes, but cool ones like a watch, $250.00, an ipod docking staion and even a toaster oven.  The fact that I win keeps my hopes high.  Why are these lotteries so attractive to me? For one thing, when I get my yearly flyer in the mail the first thing I notice is ODDS OF WINNING 1 in 3!!!  This always gets me.  And the fact that I have won so many times is my main motivation. I have never won the 649.  I dont know anyone that has ever won to be honest.  My biggest question would  be who decides what the odds are? Is there really a formula?  If there is a formula for the odds of winning, why is there not a formula for winning.  If only I could choose a very practical mathematical formula to create- that would be it!! I would love my math talents to help me win the lottery!