In Feburary 2016 26,
Read about Site Build it for Webmasters (link under Resources, below) to discover why Site Build It receives top ranks from both new website writers and experienced webmasters. I have personally used both Site Build It and cheap web hosting, and find the cost of SBI is negligible compared to the time-saving benefits provided by the website builder.
Resist the temptation to buy cheap domains at 99 cents to $10, along with inexpensive monthly web hosting, unless you have extensive HTML programming skills and search engine optimization experience. You will choose a website domain name and receive a year's web hosting with your website builder purchase.
Read reviews and success stories from others who have used the website builder, both for inspiration and to learn from their successes.
Compare Site Build It to other website builders. In my comparisons, I found that Site Build has no real competition that can match what they offer. They stay on top of Google and internet resources to ensure that you have all the tools you need to build the best website possible.
In Feburary 2016 26,
Showing posts with label cost. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cost. Show all posts
Friday, 26 February 2016
How to Create a Video Hosting WebsiteIn Feburary 2016 26,
In Feburary 2016 26,
Purchase a domain name for your website. A domain name is the address your customers will type in to access your site (yourvideohostingsite.com). Domain registrars typically charge between $1 to more than $14 per year.
Obtain web hosting for your site. A web host maintains various servers that manages the content and your subscribers who will come to your website. Choose a web host that provides a lot of memory for the lowest cost because your videos may require much memory. Web hosts can charge anywhere from $3 to more than $100 a month.
Determine if you would like to provide videos or if you want your subscribers to upload their own videos to your site, like YouTube. Answer this question before you start creating a website because the programming code required for others to upload videos will be different than if you want to upload videos yourself.
Sketch out the content, look and feel of your website using either a piece of paper and/or word processing software. You must know ahead of time what colors you would like to use and your welcome message, along with other information. Use a word processing software, such as Microsoft Word, that can be sent to your web designer.
Hire a freelance web designer to create your website. Hire your freelance web designer from sites like GetAFreelancer.com or Elance.com. Web designers from around the world will bid on your project based on your budget. Ensure your web designer has experience with programming codes necessary to upload videos.
Invite friends and family at different times of the day to access your site to view and upload videos to ensure there are no technical issues that need to be resolved before you go live.
In Feburary 2016 26,
Purchase a domain name for your website. A domain name is the address your customers will type in to access your site (yourvideohostingsite.com). Domain registrars typically charge between $1 to more than $14 per year.
Obtain web hosting for your site. A web host maintains various servers that manages the content and your subscribers who will come to your website. Choose a web host that provides a lot of memory for the lowest cost because your videos may require much memory. Web hosts can charge anywhere from $3 to more than $100 a month.
Determine if you would like to provide videos or if you want your subscribers to upload their own videos to your site, like YouTube. Answer this question before you start creating a website because the programming code required for others to upload videos will be different than if you want to upload videos yourself.
Sketch out the content, look and feel of your website using either a piece of paper and/or word processing software. You must know ahead of time what colors you would like to use and your welcome message, along with other information. Use a word processing software, such as Microsoft Word, that can be sent to your web designer.
Hire a freelance web designer to create your website. Hire your freelance web designer from sites like GetAFreelancer.com or Elance.com. Web designers from around the world will bid on your project based on your budget. Ensure your web designer has experience with programming codes necessary to upload videos.
Invite friends and family at different times of the day to access your site to view and upload videos to ensure there are no technical issues that need to be resolved before you go live.
In Feburary 2016 26,
Tuesday, 16 February 2016
How to Start Your Own Fantasy WebsiteIn Feburary 2016 16,
In Feburary 2016 16,
Build your website using pen and paper. Think about what pages you will want your fantasy website to have, including a message board, if you like. Draw a rectangle for the home page (where visitors first arrive) and draw subsequent rectangles to represent the other pages, such as 'about us' or 'contact us' or 'links.'
Design your primary navigation method. Will your visitors get from the home page to the other pages just by clicking on text links, or will you use images? Figure out the two basic states for these images: what they look like when they're just sitting there (the off state) and what they look like when someone puts their mouse cursor over them (the over state). Does it change?
Draw out on pen and paper how each page will look. What text do you plan to have on each page, and where will it be? Left aligned? Centered? Will you use headers and images? What about the background?
Get your Space on the Web
Select a domain for your website. That's the www.WhateverYouWant.com or .net or .org or whatever. You can pick your name, but it must be unique among every other domain name in existence. Purchasing it from a place like GoDaddy.com or NetworkSolutions.com should cost around $10 per year.
Having purchased your domain name, it's like you've bought land but have no house to put your stuff (your website) in. You now need to buy a hosting package--the house to put on your land. There are literally hundreds of places that offer hosting packages on the web, such as Jiffynet.net, hostmonster.com, bluehost.com, or even GoDaddy, if that's where you got your domain. Again, prices will vary but it is possible to get a great package deal from some hosting providers for as little as $6 per month.
An alternative to doing Steps 1 and 2 separately is buying your domain name and hosting account together at the same place and perhaps receiving a package deal.
If you buy your hosting package separate from your domain name, you will need to log in where you bought your domain name and change the nameservers to your hosting company's nameservers. Your hosting company will send you information on how to accomplish this.
Wait for propagation to take place. When you buy a new domain and hosting, it can take up to 48 hours for the World Wide Web to realize that you are now there and have your space. That means that for a while, you may type in www.YourNewDomain.com and get nothing. Or perhaps you get nothing, but you call your friend and he can see it fine. Give it a couple of days, during which time you can involve yourself in the next steps.
Build and Upload Your Web Pages
You've got your design. You've got your space. You can start building using either your vast HTML knowledge to hand-code the page from scratch or a WYSIWYG editor like Adobe DreamWeaver or a free editor like CoffeeCup http://www.coffeecup.com/free-editor/.
Use your program to arrange your first page (and only your first page) just the way you like it. If you want to include images, you can download them from free image sites on the Internet or use programs like PhotoShop to create your own. Save those image files in your site folder and import them where they belong.
If you want to have a discussion board attached to your site, you can either buy one or use one of the many free ones available on the Internet, such as Pro Boards http://www.proboards.com/. Set up the page on your domain by following the instructions on the site from which you get it.
Test your site by uploading your main page to see how it looks on the screen. Make sure your fantasy elements are aligned just the way you like them. Test the link to the navigation board and make sure it is working properly.
Once your home page meets your approval, create the other pages for your site to fill it out. When you are done, advertise your site far and wide using social media like Facebook and Google to tell the world you have arrived.
In Feburary 2016 16,
Build your website using pen and paper. Think about what pages you will want your fantasy website to have, including a message board, if you like. Draw a rectangle for the home page (where visitors first arrive) and draw subsequent rectangles to represent the other pages, such as 'about us' or 'contact us' or 'links.'
Design your primary navigation method. Will your visitors get from the home page to the other pages just by clicking on text links, or will you use images? Figure out the two basic states for these images: what they look like when they're just sitting there (the off state) and what they look like when someone puts their mouse cursor over them (the over state). Does it change?
Draw out on pen and paper how each page will look. What text do you plan to have on each page, and where will it be? Left aligned? Centered? Will you use headers and images? What about the background?
Get your Space on the Web
Select a domain for your website. That's the www.WhateverYouWant.com or .net or .org or whatever. You can pick your name, but it must be unique among every other domain name in existence. Purchasing it from a place like GoDaddy.com or NetworkSolutions.com should cost around $10 per year.
Having purchased your domain name, it's like you've bought land but have no house to put your stuff (your website) in. You now need to buy a hosting package--the house to put on your land. There are literally hundreds of places that offer hosting packages on the web, such as Jiffynet.net, hostmonster.com, bluehost.com, or even GoDaddy, if that's where you got your domain. Again, prices will vary but it is possible to get a great package deal from some hosting providers for as little as $6 per month.
An alternative to doing Steps 1 and 2 separately is buying your domain name and hosting account together at the same place and perhaps receiving a package deal.
If you buy your hosting package separate from your domain name, you will need to log in where you bought your domain name and change the nameservers to your hosting company's nameservers. Your hosting company will send you information on how to accomplish this.
Wait for propagation to take place. When you buy a new domain and hosting, it can take up to 48 hours for the World Wide Web to realize that you are now there and have your space. That means that for a while, you may type in www.YourNewDomain.com and get nothing. Or perhaps you get nothing, but you call your friend and he can see it fine. Give it a couple of days, during which time you can involve yourself in the next steps.
Build and Upload Your Web Pages
You've got your design. You've got your space. You can start building using either your vast HTML knowledge to hand-code the page from scratch or a WYSIWYG editor like Adobe DreamWeaver or a free editor like CoffeeCup http://www.coffeecup.com/free-editor/.
Use your program to arrange your first page (and only your first page) just the way you like it. If you want to include images, you can download them from free image sites on the Internet or use programs like PhotoShop to create your own. Save those image files in your site folder and import them where they belong.
If you want to have a discussion board attached to your site, you can either buy one or use one of the many free ones available on the Internet, such as Pro Boards http://www.proboards.com/. Set up the page on your domain by following the instructions on the site from which you get it.
Test your site by uploading your main page to see how it looks on the screen. Make sure your fantasy elements are aligned just the way you like them. Test the link to the navigation board and make sure it is working properly.
Once your home page meets your approval, create the other pages for your site to fill it out. When you are done, advertise your site far and wide using social media like Facebook and Google to tell the world you have arrived.
In Feburary 2016 16,
Friday, 12 February 2016
How to Create a Web Site With an Online Radio StationIn Feburary 2016 12,
In Feburary 2016 12,
Start out by planning your new radio station. Ask yourself questions such as, 'What will I play?' and 'What size audience do I expect?' Radio formats come in music or talk, each with its ups and downs. Talk radio requires a microphone and some idea of what you will talk about, but there are far less legal concerns associated with it than music. Do not plan for playing music to which you do not have rights, permission, or licensing to play. Some streaming services pay royalties for you, as part of your service through them, although they may not be appropriate for streaming directly from your website. As for audience size, be aware that as it grows, the stream will become more costly to run.
Sign up for a stream hosting account. For radio stations, the best bitrates are between 64kbps and 128kbps for decent quality audio streaming. To create a radio station that runs on auto-pilot, choose a stream hosting package that includes disk space for hosting your audio files. These packages cost a few dollars more per month but are worth it if you want to run a twenty-four hour a day radio station on your own.
If you do not already have Winamp on your computer, download and install it. ShoutCast, a popular tool for streaming audio on the Web, requires Winamp and a special plug-in to broadcast. Once Winamp is installed, grab the ShoutCast DSP plug-in from the ShoutCast website. Close Winamp if it is already running, and then start the installer for the plug-in. Start Winamp and hit 'Ctrl+P' to bring up the Preferences menu. Choose 'DSP/Effect' under 'Plugins' and configure the ShoutCast plug-in with your stream information.
Create Your Website
Purchase an inexpensive Web hosting account with a domain name and the third-party application installer Fantastico, which will install WordPress for you with only a few simple steps. Log-in and click on the Fantastico icon, and then choose WordPress. This blogging system is also a powerful content management system (CMS) that allows for easy plug-in installation, and that will come in useful when integrating your radio station.
Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard. To change WordPress from a blog into a CMS with a static front page, click 'Pages' on the right-hand menu and add a new page. Name the new page 'Blog' and then go to 'Settings' on the right-hand menu. From there, go to 'Reading' and set WordPress to use a static front page. Use the automatically created 'About' page for the front page and 'Blog' for the blog page. Now, your site can have a blog, but it will not be the first page visitors see when surfing to your website.
Go to 'Permalinks' under 'Settings' and choose a permalink structure other than the default. Doing this gives every page made within WordPress its own semantic name rather than numbers.
Go to 'Plugins' on the right-hand menu and click 'add plugin.' Search for 'shoutcast' and look at the list of plug-ins for streaming radio on your website. Install 'Shout Stream' and activate. Click on 'Settings' and go to 'Shout Stream' for that plug-in's settings page. Fill in the form with information about your radio stream so that the widget can connect to it. Go to 'Appearance' and then 'Widgets' to click and drag the 'Shout Stream' widget into your sidebar. Now when you visit your site, you will see a radio player in your sidebar. Click on it and play!
In Feburary 2016 12,
Start out by planning your new radio station. Ask yourself questions such as, 'What will I play?' and 'What size audience do I expect?' Radio formats come in music or talk, each with its ups and downs. Talk radio requires a microphone and some idea of what you will talk about, but there are far less legal concerns associated with it than music. Do not plan for playing music to which you do not have rights, permission, or licensing to play. Some streaming services pay royalties for you, as part of your service through them, although they may not be appropriate for streaming directly from your website. As for audience size, be aware that as it grows, the stream will become more costly to run.
Sign up for a stream hosting account. For radio stations, the best bitrates are between 64kbps and 128kbps for decent quality audio streaming. To create a radio station that runs on auto-pilot, choose a stream hosting package that includes disk space for hosting your audio files. These packages cost a few dollars more per month but are worth it if you want to run a twenty-four hour a day radio station on your own.
If you do not already have Winamp on your computer, download and install it. ShoutCast, a popular tool for streaming audio on the Web, requires Winamp and a special plug-in to broadcast. Once Winamp is installed, grab the ShoutCast DSP plug-in from the ShoutCast website. Close Winamp if it is already running, and then start the installer for the plug-in. Start Winamp and hit 'Ctrl+P' to bring up the Preferences menu. Choose 'DSP/Effect' under 'Plugins' and configure the ShoutCast plug-in with your stream information.
Create Your Website
Purchase an inexpensive Web hosting account with a domain name and the third-party application installer Fantastico, which will install WordPress for you with only a few simple steps. Log-in and click on the Fantastico icon, and then choose WordPress. This blogging system is also a powerful content management system (CMS) that allows for easy plug-in installation, and that will come in useful when integrating your radio station.
Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard. To change WordPress from a blog into a CMS with a static front page, click 'Pages' on the right-hand menu and add a new page. Name the new page 'Blog' and then go to 'Settings' on the right-hand menu. From there, go to 'Reading' and set WordPress to use a static front page. Use the automatically created 'About' page for the front page and 'Blog' for the blog page. Now, your site can have a blog, but it will not be the first page visitors see when surfing to your website.
Go to 'Permalinks' under 'Settings' and choose a permalink structure other than the default. Doing this gives every page made within WordPress its own semantic name rather than numbers.
Go to 'Plugins' on the right-hand menu and click 'add plugin.' Search for 'shoutcast' and look at the list of plug-ins for streaming radio on your website. Install 'Shout Stream' and activate. Click on 'Settings' and go to 'Shout Stream' for that plug-in's settings page. Fill in the form with information about your radio stream so that the widget can connect to it. Go to 'Appearance' and then 'Widgets' to click and drag the 'Shout Stream' widget into your sidebar. Now when you visit your site, you will see a radio player in your sidebar. Click on it and play!
In Feburary 2016 12,
Sunday, 7 February 2016
Marketing Techniques for Computer CoursesIn Feburary 2016 07,
In Feburary 2016 07,
To sell computer training, a training provider must first establish himself as an expert in the computer field. One of the quickest and easiest ways to gain this credibility is to offer a free information session where members of the public (and potential customers) can get a taste of the quality training they will receive. Some very successful training providers offer monthly or even weekly seminars that are open to the public, and some offer a series of training for free or at a significantly reduced cost. Independent and work-from-home computer instructors without access to a lecture hall or conference room may prefer to harness the power of the Web to deliver online seminars, or Webinars, for free on venues like Ustream and YouTube.
Becoming an Author
Another way to quickly gain credibility and widespread notoriety is to pen a computer advice column in a local publication. While large daily newspapers are likely to already have an entire team of writers dedicated to technology, smaller weekly publications, independent periodicals and community newsletters may welcome the addition of free technology-oriented content (computer training providers should not expect compensation for promotional articles, but may view the time spent as an advertising expense). To gain a broader audience, some larger training providers operate blogs or even entire websites on the Internet, though these venues often require special marketing of their own.
Traditional Advertising
While seminars and advice columns are excellent ways to quickly gain credibility with minimal investment, the power of traditional advertising mediums should not be overlooked. Few marketing tactics are able to disseminate an advertising message to a broader audience than media advertising, and a combination of radio, television and print advertisements is sure to gain attention for the computer training program. Expenses related to traditional advertising can mount up very quickly, though, so budget-minded training providers may prefer to take out only minimal traditional advertising and augment it with a combination of the other, less expensive methods.
In Feburary 2016 07,
To sell computer training, a training provider must first establish himself as an expert in the computer field. One of the quickest and easiest ways to gain this credibility is to offer a free information session where members of the public (and potential customers) can get a taste of the quality training they will receive. Some very successful training providers offer monthly or even weekly seminars that are open to the public, and some offer a series of training for free or at a significantly reduced cost. Independent and work-from-home computer instructors without access to a lecture hall or conference room may prefer to harness the power of the Web to deliver online seminars, or Webinars, for free on venues like Ustream and YouTube.
Becoming an Author
Another way to quickly gain credibility and widespread notoriety is to pen a computer advice column in a local publication. While large daily newspapers are likely to already have an entire team of writers dedicated to technology, smaller weekly publications, independent periodicals and community newsletters may welcome the addition of free technology-oriented content (computer training providers should not expect compensation for promotional articles, but may view the time spent as an advertising expense). To gain a broader audience, some larger training providers operate blogs or even entire websites on the Internet, though these venues often require special marketing of their own.
Traditional Advertising
While seminars and advice columns are excellent ways to quickly gain credibility with minimal investment, the power of traditional advertising mediums should not be overlooked. Few marketing tactics are able to disseminate an advertising message to a broader audience than media advertising, and a combination of radio, television and print advertisements is sure to gain attention for the computer training program. Expenses related to traditional advertising can mount up very quickly, though, so budget-minded training providers may prefer to take out only minimal traditional advertising and augment it with a combination of the other, less expensive methods.
In Feburary 2016 07,
Saturday, 6 February 2016
How to Host a Card PartyIn Feburary 2016 06,
In Feburary 2016 06,
Invite your friends. Send invitations to your card party at least 2 weeks in advance. Include the time, date and location of your party in your invitation along with a single face card from a deck of cards. You can use these cards to divide your guests into groups.
Purchase prizes. Everyone loves to get a prize when they win a game, and it is no different with cards. Prizes don't have to cost a lot of money and can be as simple as a new deck of cards or candy.
Decide on the games. There are so many card games you could play, but you really need to narrow it down to about three. Make sure that the games you choose are ones that everyone knows, or can learn quickly, and will fit into the time frame of your party. You may decide to play only one card game, but do it in tournament style.
Have the rules available for all games. Print off the rules for each game you will play. Having these handy will keep participants from having to ask questions. Each table of players can refer to their own set of printed rules. Rules for card games often come with the deck but can also be downloaded online.
Set up tables. Set your party tables up with enough room to maneuver around them. It is a good idea to make sure that the tables you use have room for people to place their drinks, or that there is a table nearby for them to set a beverage.
Put up decorations. No party is complete without a few decorations. You can find card themed decorations at any party store and even online. If you don't want to spend a lot of money, simply make your own decorations by using an old deck of cards. Cards can be used as centerpieces, as garland and even as place cards with your guests' names.
Prepare refreshments. Having refreshments for your party will definitely please the crowd. You can ask guests to bring their favorite snack food or drink, or you can do it yourself. Peanuts and pretzels are good munchies on a small budget.
In Feburary 2016 06,
Invite your friends. Send invitations to your card party at least 2 weeks in advance. Include the time, date and location of your party in your invitation along with a single face card from a deck of cards. You can use these cards to divide your guests into groups.
Purchase prizes. Everyone loves to get a prize when they win a game, and it is no different with cards. Prizes don't have to cost a lot of money and can be as simple as a new deck of cards or candy.
Decide on the games. There are so many card games you could play, but you really need to narrow it down to about three. Make sure that the games you choose are ones that everyone knows, or can learn quickly, and will fit into the time frame of your party. You may decide to play only one card game, but do it in tournament style.
Have the rules available for all games. Print off the rules for each game you will play. Having these handy will keep participants from having to ask questions. Each table of players can refer to their own set of printed rules. Rules for card games often come with the deck but can also be downloaded online.
Set up tables. Set your party tables up with enough room to maneuver around them. It is a good idea to make sure that the tables you use have room for people to place their drinks, or that there is a table nearby for them to set a beverage.
Put up decorations. No party is complete without a few decorations. You can find card themed decorations at any party store and even online. If you don't want to spend a lot of money, simply make your own decorations by using an old deck of cards. Cards can be used as centerpieces, as garland and even as place cards with your guests' names.
Prepare refreshments. Having refreshments for your party will definitely please the crowd. You can ask guests to bring their favorite snack food or drink, or you can do it yourself. Peanuts and pretzels are good munchies on a small budget.
In Feburary 2016 06,
Friday, 5 February 2016
How to Pick Winning Scratch Off Lotto TicketsIn Feburary 2016 05,
In Feburary 2016 05,
Research which scratch cards are available in your state. Since lotteries are run by individual states, each state will sell a different series of scratch cards.
Find your state's lottery website by searching, for example, 'NY lotto' or whatever your state's abbreviation may be.
Find the scratch off information section on the website. This may be linked under 'scratchers' or 'instant win games.'
Once you locate the scratch off section on your state's lottery website, you must decide your budget for scratch cards. This is when it is beneficial to compare the odds on the differently priced tickets.
Generally, the higher the cost of the scratch off ticket, the higher the overall odds of winning. This is the chance of winning any type of prize, be it simply your money back or the jackpot. For example, for a $1 Loose Change ticket from the NY lottery, the overall odds of winning are 1 in 4.71.
Meanwhile, a Win $1,000,000 a Year for Life ticket costs $30 and has overall winning odds of 1 in 2.93. Basically, you are paying more for all of the additional ways to win prizes.
A good way to compare tickets is to see which prize has the best odds of being won. On the Loose Change ticket noted above, that payout is $1, a refund of your purchase, with odds 1 in 8.59. On the Million a Year ticket, it has a $35 payout, with odds 1 in 6.58. That means more winning tickets will pay out $35 than any other, even ones that simply refund the money. The Million a Year ticket gives you a better chance of winning more than a refund.
It is important to note that just because you are paying more money for better overall odds, it does not mean you are getting better jackpot odds. If you are looking to win any big prize, then a lower stakes ticket is probably a better option because the odds of winning the smaller jackpots are better. This is clearly detailed with the two examples above, with 1 in 48,000 winning the $500 Loose Change grand prize, and 1 in 3.5 million winning the Million a Year for Life grand prize. Note: in few other circumstances does it make statistical sense for you to purchase a $1 ticket, as you are buying the worst possible odds of getting your money back. States make most of their instant game revenue from selling $1 tickets.
Expect to see yourself winning more of the middle-tier prizes as you pay more for scratch cards. Here is another good example with a $10 Holiday Cash Word. As anticipated, the overall odds are right between the $1 and $30 cards. But unlike the $1 card, the chance of winning double your money ($20) is actually better than only getting a refund.
It is important to note that not all cards have the same odds for the same price. This is because of the varieties in payouts. For example, compare two $5 NY lotto cards.
The first example is a card called Win $2,000 a Week for Life. The NY Lotto knows that the prospect of winning for life is very tempting, so they charge slightly more for the odds, with overall odds of 1 in 5.09. The average overall odds on a $5 card are 1 in 4.817, so anytime you see odds worse than that, you know you are paying more for a chance at a better payout. However, you'll need to consider whether the ratio of a decrease in overall odds to an increase in payouts is worth it.
The second example is a New York Poker $5 scratch off ticket. Because there are so many ways to win, the overall odds are nicely discounted at 1 to 4.08. Also, the likelihood of winning $5 on this ticket is greater than winning $5 on Win for Life (odds 1 in 10 versus odds 1 in 11.59). Even though the price of both tickets is equal, the NY Poker ticket is statistically 'better' than the Win for Life ticket.
In Feburary 2016 05,
Research which scratch cards are available in your state. Since lotteries are run by individual states, each state will sell a different series of scratch cards.
Find your state's lottery website by searching, for example, 'NY lotto' or whatever your state's abbreviation may be.
Find the scratch off information section on the website. This may be linked under 'scratchers' or 'instant win games.'
Once you locate the scratch off section on your state's lottery website, you must decide your budget for scratch cards. This is when it is beneficial to compare the odds on the differently priced tickets.
Generally, the higher the cost of the scratch off ticket, the higher the overall odds of winning. This is the chance of winning any type of prize, be it simply your money back or the jackpot. For example, for a $1 Loose Change ticket from the NY lottery, the overall odds of winning are 1 in 4.71.
Meanwhile, a Win $1,000,000 a Year for Life ticket costs $30 and has overall winning odds of 1 in 2.93. Basically, you are paying more for all of the additional ways to win prizes.
A good way to compare tickets is to see which prize has the best odds of being won. On the Loose Change ticket noted above, that payout is $1, a refund of your purchase, with odds 1 in 8.59. On the Million a Year ticket, it has a $35 payout, with odds 1 in 6.58. That means more winning tickets will pay out $35 than any other, even ones that simply refund the money. The Million a Year ticket gives you a better chance of winning more than a refund.
It is important to note that just because you are paying more money for better overall odds, it does not mean you are getting better jackpot odds. If you are looking to win any big prize, then a lower stakes ticket is probably a better option because the odds of winning the smaller jackpots are better. This is clearly detailed with the two examples above, with 1 in 48,000 winning the $500 Loose Change grand prize, and 1 in 3.5 million winning the Million a Year for Life grand prize. Note: in few other circumstances does it make statistical sense for you to purchase a $1 ticket, as you are buying the worst possible odds of getting your money back. States make most of their instant game revenue from selling $1 tickets.
Expect to see yourself winning more of the middle-tier prizes as you pay more for scratch cards. Here is another good example with a $10 Holiday Cash Word. As anticipated, the overall odds are right between the $1 and $30 cards. But unlike the $1 card, the chance of winning double your money ($20) is actually better than only getting a refund.
It is important to note that not all cards have the same odds for the same price. This is because of the varieties in payouts. For example, compare two $5 NY lotto cards.
The first example is a card called Win $2,000 a Week for Life. The NY Lotto knows that the prospect of winning for life is very tempting, so they charge slightly more for the odds, with overall odds of 1 in 5.09. The average overall odds on a $5 card are 1 in 4.817, so anytime you see odds worse than that, you know you are paying more for a chance at a better payout. However, you'll need to consider whether the ratio of a decrease in overall odds to an increase in payouts is worth it.
The second example is a New York Poker $5 scratch off ticket. Because there are so many ways to win, the overall odds are nicely discounted at 1 to 4.08. Also, the likelihood of winning $5 on this ticket is greater than winning $5 on Win for Life (odds 1 in 10 versus odds 1 in 11.59). Even though the price of both tickets is equal, the NY Poker ticket is statistically 'better' than the Win for Life ticket.
In Feburary 2016 05,
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