An eye-opening figure reveals that an estimated 70% of adults in the UK dabble in the National Lottery, totalling nearly 45 million hopeful punters challenging their luck. Amidst this flurry of activity arises a burning query many enthusiasts share - which tactic increases your chance at Lotto glory - is selecting your personal numbers better or opting for a lucky dip?

Interestingly, there's a little-known trick that may just tip the scales in your favour and potentially swell your riches should fortune smile upon you. The debate was sparked on Reddit when a curious user posted: "Statistically speaking, are you more likely to win the lottery using the same numbers every week rather than getting a lucky dip?"

Predictably, the post triggered a mixed bag of reactions, with lottery veterans weighing in with their thoughts. One commenter ventured: "Happy to be corrected but, as far as I know, each draw of the lottery is completely independent from the previous one. Therefore, keeping the same numbers each week gives you no greater likelihood of winning than having random ones."

Someone else chimed in with a compelling tale, writing: "There was a lottery in Bulgaria, maybe Hungary, a couple of years ago where the same numbers came up two weeks running. After an investigation they found nothing wrong.

"The chances of the same numbers coming up are exactly the same week on week. 1,2,3,4,5,6 is just as likely as any other combination. We see patterns and exclude random chance from them."

A third chimed in with: "Every single draw is an individual event with zero relevance to previous or future draws. It makes no difference what approach you take."

Adding to the conversation, a fourth remarked: "It makes no difference. Any set of numbers is just as likely to come up as any other."

For those scratching their heads, the lucky dip option is a nifty feature that allows punters to have their lottery digits randomly selected by a computer. This handy tool is available across various games including Euromillions, Lotto and Thunderball.

When players opt for the lucky dip, each line of numbers is freshly generated without any memory of past picks. Dream Jackpot explains: "Thus, if two or three of the same numbers are selected on a single ticket in different lines, it’s purely coincidental. The software is designed to ensure a complete random selection of numbers, free from human bias or predictability."

While choosing a lucky dip doesn't increase your odds of winning compared to picking your own numbers, intriguingly, statistics suggest that about 53% of lottery winners struck gold using a lucky dip. However, this doesn't translate to a lucky dip offering better odds of victory.

Many lottery players prefer to use the Quick Pick or Lucky Dip method, which has resulted in a significant number of winners from this group. However, there's more to it than just that.

The Health Lottery explains: "When numbers are chosen truly at random, it means you are less likely to share the pot with other winners. There are common patterns and themes that appear when people choose lottery numbers. For example, people often choose multiples of other numbers (e.g. 7, 14 and 21).

"This means that if those numbers win the big prize, the winnings will be shared with other people who chose the same numbers. Quick Pick numbers have been selected randomly, so are unlikely to have any sort of pattern or theme, which could make them less likely to match with other people’s choices."

Randomly selected numbers can also provide a more even spread than if you picked the numbers yourself. Typically, players select numbers based on significant dates such as birthdays and anniversaries.

Given that dates can't exceed 31 for days and 12 for months, lower numbers are often chosen more frequently than higher numbers. The Health Lottery further explains: "Numbers that are chosen more often will appear on more lottery tickets – meaning a higher chance of sharing the top prize if you do win. By going with a Quick Pick or Lucky Dip option, you avoid this skew towards numbers that are in dates so could be less likely to have share your winnings."