Keno #1406

Keno #1406 is the clear play. Forty percent of the tickets have been sold and all four $50,000 grand prizes remain to be claimed. The 40% differential overcomes the 36% house take making the game a reasonable wager.


Your chance of winning the $50,000 prize is presently 440,000:1, down from the 733,400:1 it was when the game began.

Cranium fell off of the radar when the second of the three grand prizes was claimed this week. No reporting yet as to where the prize was won.

The Ontario Lottery Corporation applies different principles to games where the grand prize is $100,000 or more. These are all games with a price of $4 or more. Some of the higher priced games do not have $100,000 grand prizes. Of those games currently in play, none is playable. But, if you insist on playing, avoid $10 Classic Black, $10-100 Jumbo, and $5 Merry Money. These games are in an extremely negative position.

Doug

Cranium #1656 and Keno # 1406

There are two games that are now playable with equal merit. Cranium and Keno #1406 differ from each other based upon the following comparison:

Category                                             Cranium                    Keno
Total Tickets Issued                           3,004,500                 2,934,000
Grand Prize                                          $75,000                   $50,000
Odds of any winner                                1 in 3.27                  1 in 2.70
Initial Odds to win Grand P                1,001,500:1                733,500:1
Current Odds                                      495,000:1                 484,000:1
Initial Odds to win at least $1k              24,830:1                   19,430:1
Current "            "        "                        26,797:1                   17,604:1
Initial Odds to win at least $100             1,063:1                     6,608:1
Current '      "               "                         1,053:1                    6,654:1

Cranium has a larger grand prize. The odds to win a grand prize is about the same in either game. Keno has more prizes between the grand prize and the $1000 prizes whereas Cranium has more between $1000 and $100. Keno has more smaller prizes. Play which ever game has the profile that appeals to you most.

I played Cranium 5 times this week winning $15 for a break even week. My friend went out on a raiding mission in North Bay last week purchasing 70 Cranium tickets. His total return was 75% of the money invested without the benefit of a significant prize.

I would advise to get out looking for your Cranium tickets soon. With only 34% of the ticket float left to be purchased, the tickets will soon begin to become scarce. When playing Keno, be sure to get Game #1406.

No Playable Games

One of the $75,000 Cranium prizes was won last week in Mississauga. It remains the best choice but its advantage has been eliminated. Thirty-six percent of tickets remain to be sold and two of the grand prizes remain to be claimed.  The 31% variance almost makes up the house advantage. I have been playing this game but without much success. I am winning at about the published rate but I can only ever win $3, which is no win at all!

Keno 1406 is also a +31 and should be played equally with Cranium. Cash for Life 1154 is +22 and can be played in a pinch. Be careful with Keno and Cash for Life: there are two versions of each game currently in play. In the case of Keno, the other game (1408) is a horrible play. The other Cash For Life (1155) is OK, just not as good as the recommended game.

As for games to avoid, the following games have all had their grand prizes won but are still available for sale:
$1 Line em Up, $3 Bingo 3000, $3 Keno 1408, 

It's Still Cranium #1656

A further three percent of the Cranium tickets were sold this week but none of the $75,000 grand prizes were won. It therefore remains the game of choice. 

Looking ahead, Keno #1408 looks like it could be next but only 19% of those tickets have been sold.

Cranium Remains the Game of Choice

All three $75k grand prizes for Cranium #1656 remain to be claimed. 51% of the tickets have been sold making it the only currently playable game.

For those who prefer other games - watch out! There are currently six games currently being sold where all the Grand prizes have been already claimed. Avoid the following games:

$1 Line em Up - The largest prize left to claim is $100!
$2 Bonus Banco - The largest prize left to claim is $500!
$3 Bingo 3000 - The largest prize left to claim is $5050!
$3 Keno 1408 - The largest prize left to claim is $5000!
$5 Jacks are Wild - The largest prize left to claim is $27,500!
$5 Multi Mult - The largest prize left to claim is $25,000!

Would you buy a raffle ticket if you knew that the top prize had already been given away?

Why does the Ontario Lottery Corporation continue to allow games to continue when this is the case? Why are other games with outstanding tickets canceled before the top prizes are awarded? More on this in future entries.

New Play - Cranium #1656

The Cash for Life #1154 game only lasted two weeks. A lucky player in Sturgeon Falls of all places won a grand prize. The result is that only one Grand Prize remains for the game and it is no longer playable according to our rules.

The new game (and only playable one at this time) is the $3 Cranium #1656.

This game provides players with 3 Grand Prizes of $75,000 each, a 1 in 3.27 chance of getting a winning ticket and 65% return on investment for the game. The current stats indicate that all 3 grand prizes are left to be claimed and 44% of all tickets have been sold. This produces a game rating of +9. We only play games with positive ratings.

The current "avoid" list includes Line Em Up 1639, Bonus Banco 1619, Keno 1406, Money Mult 1673, all of which have had all of the grand prizes already claimed. Would you buy a raffle ticket if you knew that the grand prize(s) had already been awarded?

New Play - Cash for Life #1154

The 20X Lucky game is no longer the recommended play. Two of the $100k prizes were claimed last week: one in Cornwall and 1 in Fort Erie. They were claimed on the same day! What were the chances?

The new game of choice is the $4 Cash for Life 1154. Be careful as there are two Cash for Life games currently being sold. At present, two of the three Grand Prizes remain outstanding and 74% of all the tickets have been sold.

This is a large game with over 7 million tickets in circulation. By Comparison, the 20X Lucky Game issue was slightly over 2 million. Another quirky aspect to this game is that the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th prizes ($50k, $10k, $5k) only have one ticket issued for each prize. You are three times as likely to win the grand prize than you are any one of the secondary top prizes.