Top 15 Lottery Luck Charms and Rituals (Plus Bonus)

If you're hoping for a decent lottery win, why not have a little fun with it — make yourself a lucky charm, recite a good-luck charm for the lottery, or try one of the little rituals below.

A quick note before we dive in: this is folklore and entertainment, passed down and collected purely for fun — not a real strategy for beating the odds of a licensed lottery drawing, which are fixed by math, not magic. Treat the rest of this article as a bit of harmless, old-fashioned tradition.

Compared to past centuries, folk magic and rituals play a much smaller role in daily life today. Even so, there are corners of life where people still turn to a bit of old-fashioned magic. Money magic in particular remains popular, especially in tough economic times. Here's a roundup of the prayers, charms, and rituals people have traditionally turned to for lottery luck.

General rules for lottery charms and rituals

Nearly everyone spends some time thinking about how to fix their money troubles and make sure cash is always within reach. According to folk tradition, one relatively simple way to work toward that is through dedicated rituals and charms meant for financial good fortune.

When performing money-related rituals for winning the lottery, tradition says you should stick to the specified timing, hold firm belief in the ritual's power and in your own luck, and vividly picture yourself receiving the wealth. Anything to do with attracting money is traditionally done only during a waxing moon, specifically in the first week after the new moon. The best day for a ritual like this is said to be Thursday, since that day is ruled by Jupiter, the planet associated with financial fortune.

Keep the ritual private

Tradition holds that you shouldn't tell anyone you've decided to perform a money-magic ritual. And talking about the outcome or your success afterward is considered even more off-limits. Fortune, so the saying goes, is a fickle thing — and if you go around bragging about your financial charm working, don't be surprised if luck turns its back on you.

Unshakeable belief in the magic and the result

For a ritual to take full effect and draw luck to your side, tradition says you need complete confidence that it'll work. Folk magic is said to run entirely on the belief of the person performing it.

Visualization

You're meant to picture exactly what you want, and how much of it, in vivid detail. If it's a car, imagine everything about it — right down to the color of the hood and the smell of the new upholstery. If it's an apartment, picture the view from the window, and the warmth and comfort of your own four walls, as though you could already feel it.

Follow these simple guidelines, say the traditions, and you'll get the result you're after in whatever kind of ritual or charm you're trying.

Charms for winning the lottery

Traditional money magic covers an enormous range of rituals — everything from getting a friend to pay back a debt to fixing your finances for good. But it would be a shame to skip over the charms and rituals specifically aimed at winning the lottery, which remain some of the most popular in this tradition today. According to folklore, these are the go-to helpers for anyone hoping their heartfelt wish for a cash prize comes true.

Quick words for a win

Let's start with the simplest one. Cover a table with a white tablecloth. In the center, place a few large banknotes. Set your lottery ticket on top of them and recite:

Bird of fortune, come to me. Land upon this cloth so white.
I've brought you a feast of coin, honor and respect besides.
Grant me luck, o bird, in this secret, rightful task.
Give me fortune. Give me riches. Give me honor and respect.
Poverty and hardship, be gone. Amen.

The candle charm

This charm unfolds in several stages. First, set aside a banknote large enough to cover the cost of a lottery ticket, and pick out the lottery you feel drawn to. Then, by the light of a gold candle, recite these words over the banknote seven times:

One coin I set apart from my heart,
so that far more money comes back to me.

Right after reciting the charm, go and buy a ticket for the lottery you chose. Pick the very first ticket that catches your eye — that's the one meant for you, the one you'll feel drawn to. Then head home to finish the ritual.

Once you're back home, light the candle again and recite this charm seven times, keeping your eyes on the ticket the whole time:

This charmed ticket, held in my hand,
I draw a cash prize to myself.
Let the money be mine!
Let victory walk beside me!

Once you're done, put the ticket away somewhere no one else will see it, and keep it hidden until the drawing results are announced. Good luck is said to follow.

The water ritual

For this one, tradition calls for a grey, overcast day during a waning moon. Why? Because few people feel like tempting fate on a gloomy day — which supposedly raises the odds that fortune turns your way instead. Go out and buy your lottery ticket, then the next day, right at eight in the morning, put on something plain and unremarkable and head outside. Before you step out the door, say:

Riches, come to me!

Slip a small coin into your left pocket. Head to the nearest still body of water — a lake or pond will do, as long as it has no current — and stay silent the entire way there; no talking to anyone. Once you arrive, find a quiet, out-of-the-way spot on the right side of the water, take the coin from your pocket, and toss it in, saying beforehand:

Money to the water — a win for me.

Head straight back home. Remember: no looking back, no talking along the way. Ask anyone you live with to step out for a while. Set a small plate of coarse rock salt in each corner of the room, and arrange 40 blue candles around the perimeter of the space where you'll perform the ritual. Light the candles at exactly midnight, moving from one to the next counter-clockwise. Wait for every candle to burn all the way down, then gather up the stubs, cover them in salt, and carry them back to the same body of water where you left the coin — try to throw them as far out into the water as you can.

After all that, tradition says the ticket you bought is primed to bring you a win!

Someone else's hand

For this ritual you'll need a lottery ticket bought on the first day of the week. But the ritual itself is only performed on a Wednesday.

One condition: don't pick the ticket yourself. Ask a stranger standing nearby to choose it for you (or pick one at random). While that person is deciding, whisper under your breath:

Money to money, their choice brings the win to me.

Then head home and tuck the ticket away somewhere hidden until midweek. On Wednesday, at first light, take the ticket and find the nearest body of water or a well. Once there, recite the following, without looking away from the ticket:

A note to Fortune, a ticket for luck,
Bring me victory, gift me some coin.
Let plenty fill my home, let want pass me by.
Coins, fly to me, hurry and trade for this ticket.
I'll hold Fortune in my hand, and draw the coins my way.

After reciting the charm, dampen the lottery ticket while repeating three times:

So be it!

All that's left is to wait for a good result.

The banknote charm

Folklore credits this charm to the celebrated Bulgarian healer Baba Vanga. To perform it, gather enough banknotes to cover the cost of a lottery ticket, along with your favorite piece of clothing — whatever you wear most often. Something from your outerwear works best, since that tends to get the most use (a jacket, coat, jeans, trousers, or a skirt with pockets). Sew the banknotes into the hem or a pocket of the chosen item. While you sew, repeat these words:

As thread and needle stay together always,
so let money stay always with me.
As the thread follows the needle,
so wealth follows me.
I sew this hem,
and stitch riches to myself.
Come to me, all kinds of money:
large and small, copper and silver, gold and paper.
For my joy, and by God's grace.

Place the garment with the hidden money in a closet and leave it there overnight. Come morning, put on your "lucky" garment and keep wearing it every day until it's time to buy your tickets. The day before you plan to buy, take the money back out and put it in your pocket, then go make your purchase first thing the next morning.

You can strengthen the ritual further like this. The night before you buy your tickets, set a lit candle by an open window. Position a mirror so it reflects the candlelight and the waxing moon. Hold the banknotes tightly in your hand and recite:

A wealthy, well-known trader strolls the moonlit path,
offering fine gifts and asking no payment.
The trickster lures people in, and pockets their luck for himself.
That trickster is my kin.
As I look upon the night's light, so I ask it for help.
Take the luck and fortune of others,
and lay it upon my words,
bind the money to my ticket.

Once you've finished, put the money in your pocket and buy your tickets the next morning. Tradition says this drawing is bound to bring you a win.

The luck-drawing charm

This one calls for a fairly simple charm to draw fortune into a lottery game. It does take a bit of preparation. You'll need: the peel of one citrus fruit, three yellow metal coins, a light-proof container, and three fruit pits. Any small opaque jar or tin — from tea, coffee, or canned goods — works fine as the container.

How to perform it: drop the peel, the fruit pits, and the coins into the container, one at a time. Seal the container, then recite the following words aloud, three times:

An old woman went picking mushrooms, filled her basket to the brim.
On the path home she found golden coins.
Everywhere she looked, precious gems.
She baked her bread, and it came out golden and delicious.
So let the same good fortune find me,
May happiness and luck walk beside me!

Then hide the container away from prying eyes. From that day forward, tradition says fortune will start favoring you. To seal the effect, buy a lottery ticket a couple of days later. Good luck is said to arrive, since charms like this are believed to take hold right away.

The ticket charm

Folk belief holds that you can win the lottery with a little help from old bus or streetcar tickets. For this ritual you'll need a handful of saved ticket stubs. Not just any will do — only the "lucky" ones, where the three-digit sum at the start of the ticket number matches the sum at the end.

This ritual takes some preparation and can be done at home. You'll need:

• 7 lucky ticket stubs
• An orange or brown candle
• A photo of yourself
• A square green piece of paper, about 7 cm (2.75 in) on each side
• An envelope

Place your photo on the green paper, then stack the lucky ticket stubs on top. Put everything inside the envelope and seal it with a drop of wax from the orange candle. Then recite the charm three times. Tuck the sealed envelope into your left pocket and head off to buy a lottery ticket. Here's the charm:

Luck, come to me, bring happiness with you.
The lucky digits lined up on these tickets — let my new ticket bring me a prize.
I light this flame, and seal this envelope with wax. Amen.

The charm for winning an apartment

Not every charm can be performed just any day. This one requires waiting for June and heading into a forest of deciduous trees where wasps nest. On a hot day, pluck three leaves from a tree that holds a wasp's nest. Looking at the nest, eat one of the leaves while reciting:

An empty apartment would suit me fine.
Let me dream of winning one.
I'll buy the ticket, and claim the home.

At this point, bury a coin beneath the tree's roots too. Then leave without looking back. On the walk home, stay completely silent — no talking to anyone. Bring the remaining leaves home: tuck one behind an icon or framed picture, and place the other under the tablecloth on the dinner table, on the side where you usually sit. Keep the ritual to yourself. Take the leaf from behind the icon with you whenever you go to buy lottery tickets.

The charm against gambling losses

According to folklore, people can come out ahead rather than behind in games of chance — cards, roulette, or the lottery — if they know how to draw luck to their side. When fortune favors a player, a big win can follow.

Here's a ritual that's said to help. Take your favorite card from the deck, and on the night before your next game, recite this charm while holding it in your hand:

Somewhere far away, beyond high mountains and distant forests, stands a great oak tree.
Beneath it sits a small dark spirit, dealing cards across a wide table.
With a flick of his tail he sweeps up the winnings.
Let the cards fall my way too, let money draw more money to me. Amen!

Recite it three times to draw good fortune to your card game. Folklore says this can turn any game into a winning one. Just keep the charmed card with you, folded in four and tucked away out of sight.

An elaborate charm with no downside

This is a special ritual believed to avoid any unwanted side effects that other charms might carry. You'll need to buy a brand-new black candle — only on a Thursday, and only while the moon is waxing. Leave any change with the seller; don't haggle over the price. Then head to the market and buy the finest green apple you can find, again without haggling, leaving the change behind.

At midnight, lay a black cloth on the table, cut the apple lengthwise down the middle, and carve a star shape out of its center. The small star-shaped core, seeds and all, needs to stay intact. Set the candle into that hollow, place five coins around it, and cover them with the carved-out core. Use chalk to draw a circle around the whole thing, keeping the coins and candle inside.

Draw a second circle nearby and place the remaining half of the apple inside it. Stick five coins into that half. Light the candle with a match and recite:

As I share, so let others share with me.

Repeat this until the candle has burned halfway down. Then snuff it out with your fingers, wrap it in black paper, and tuck it under your pillow. Bury the star-shaped core with its coins in a flowerpot. Take the other apple half with its coins to a cemetery and leave it on any grave, repeating the same charm. For five days after, light the candle again briefly each day. Once those five days are up, go buy a lottery ticket.

An especially powerful charm

This ritual is often described as one of the most powerful charms in this whole tradition. It's said to focus energy on the flow of money and on the channels that bring good fortune. Believers say it's helped plenty of people see real, positive changes in their lives — sometimes even in the form of a winning lottery ticket. Here's what you'll need:

• Dried orange peel
• A bay leaf
• Seven different coins
• A green candle (symbolizing prosperity and abundance)
• A clay pot or jug (believed to store luck and pass it along to the household)

Get the clay vessel during a waxing moon, then place the orange peel, bay leaf, and coins inside it, one at a time. Light the candle and recite the charm.

I send these coins into the world, and invite victory to myself!
I give a little, and receive a lot.
Behind me, trouble; ahead of me, luck.
As I intend it, so it shall be. Amen.

Repeat the charm three times. Let the candle burn all the way down, then take the pot somewhere hidden. A week later, go buy your lottery ticket — tradition says it should be a winner.

A simple charm for an instant win

This particularly potent ritual should be performed a full day before you plan to play. Avoid alcohol beforehand — folklore says it can scare luck away.

The prep work takes a few steps: pay off any debts, and patch things up with friends and family. Tradition says you shouldn't leave any conflicts unresolved before performing this ritual. Lingering bad feelings from arguments with others can throw you off and get in the way. Perform the ritual in a clean room: tidy up, clear the clutter, and dust everything down. A messy space is said to be an obstacle to success too.

You shouldn't have any lingering doubts going into the charm. If you do, it's better to skip it.

What you'll need:

• 3 coins (each a different denomination) — dollars, euros, or any local currency will do
• 3 banknotes (again, each a different denomination)
• A new piece of clothing (or at least something you rarely wear)
• A small drawstring pouch or purse (the kind sold in gift shops, or you can sew one yourself)
• A needle and white thread

On a night during the new moon, open the windows in the room where you're performing the ritual. It's important to do this alone, since someone else's energy is said to interfere.

Mix the banknotes and coins together in the pouch. Set it aside for 5 minutes, then, with your eyes closed, pull out three items at random (bills or coins).

Then do the following:

• Sew one of them into a pocket of your clothing
• Tuck the second coin or bill into your shoe, under your right heel
• Put the third into your wallet's coin pocket for safekeeping — don't spend it

While sewing the coin into your pocket with the needle and thread, recite:

Thread follows needle, like a river in flood,
Treasure lies deep in the silty bed.
Let this coin here in my hand
Draw a share of fortune: gold, silver, or copper
And paper money too
For my joy and my family's

It's best to know the words by heart rather than read them off a page. Don't sew the whole pocket shut — just tack down a little bit of the lining at the bottom.

Next, tuck the other two items into your shoe and wallet as described. Head to bed with a winning mindset. Keep all these items on you when you go to buy your lottery ticket. If you followed the ritual carefully, luck is said to be on your side! The charmed coins and bills are meant to bring you a win.

The morning charm for helper birds

At sunrise, go to a window. Say the following three times:

Birds of the sky, God's own helpers.
Fly to me and taste these earthly treats.
I offer this feast, and count on your help.
Take these seeds and this bread, and leave me luck and fortune in return.

Then scatter grain, seeds, and breadcrumbs on the windowsill or the ground outside. Step back from the window and wait for the birds to arrive. Once they start pecking at the food, quietly count how many show up — count the ones in groups separately from any that come alone.

Write down the numbers you get. Folklore treats them as a guide to luck — use them when picking your lottery numbers.

For buying a lucky lottery ticket

On the day you plan to buy your ticket, be extra careful. To avoid scaring off good luck, don't brush against doorframes, and step carefully over thresholds. Outside, step over any cracks or obstacles in the pavement. Try not to talk to anyone. On your way, keep repeating this charm silently to yourself:

Here I walk, [your name], off to buy some luck. I want to feel fortune's touch.
I walk with care, unhurried. Ill spirits, stay clear of me.
As easily as I stepped past every obstacle, just as easily I'll find my luck.
I'm buying a golden ticket, handing over money I earned honestly.
Bring me riches, golden ticket.
Reward me well for my honest work. So be it.

Coins of luck

For this one, you'll need "coins of luck," prepared at least two weeks ahead of buying your ticket. The morning after a new moon, go shopping. Pay in cash so your change comes back in small coins. At home, close your fist around them and whisper three times:

Young moon, newborn moon, just as you pull the earth's waters to you.
So let gold and silver be drawn to my pockets, and never slip past me.
As it is spoken, so it is done. So be it.

Keep the charmed coins in your pocket and carry them with you at all times. After two weeks, you can go buy your lottery ticket. Tradition says these "coins of luck" will help bring home a prize.

Rituals for attracting money and wealth

As a bonus to wrap things up, here are three fairly simple rituals that aren't tied specifically to the lottery, but are said to shift your overall financial fortune — since they're aimed at boosting money and wealth for your household more broadly.

The money magnet

This ritual is meant to draw a steady flow of money into your home. Head out to a field or forest and find a stone with no sharp corners, then bring it home. In a quiet room, by candlelight, draw a money symbol on the stone (even a simple dollar sign will do).

Picture the stone transforming into a magnet, pulling in money. Place your charm somewhere you'll see it often. Every time you glance at it, imagine it as the center of a flow of money coming your way.

Money attracts money

A fairly easy ritual to perform, though it needs to be repeated daily. It's an old bit of folk wisdom that people who always keep some cash in their pocket tend to keep attracting more of it. To draw money to yourself, this tradition calls for reciting a specific charm alongside a simple daily action.

Take an odd number of coins (three or five) and distribute them across the pockets of the clothes you wear every day. As you place each coin, say:

As water rushes to the shore,
so money rushes to money.

Carry the charmed coins with you in your pockets at all times, and don't spend them under any circumstances. Touch them every day and repeat the charm. Before doing laundry, take the coins out, and put them back once the clothes are dry. The longer the money stays in your pockets, the more wealth it's said to draw your way.

The moon charm

A charm for attracting wealth, said to be more effective during a waxing moon. There are countless rituals of this kind, and the one below is a classic example. On the first day of the new moon, gather 12 coins of different denominations, so that their total value matches the age of the person performing the ritual.

Head outside to a quiet, private spot, hold the coins in your left hand, and let the moonlight fall on them. Then repeat the following seven times:

All that grows and lives in this world
multiplies by the light of the sun,
but money grows by moonlight —
grow, multiply.
Enrich me, [your name], come to me.
So be it!

After reciting the charm, close your fist around the coins, head home, and mix them in with the rest of the money in your wallet — this is said to help the charm take effect right away, drawing in and multiplying wealth.

We hope these bits of folk tradition, aimed at drawing good fortune and a lottery win, bring you a smile if nothing else! May luck be with you in all you do. Just remember — none of this is a substitute for actually buying a ticket, and no charm or ritual can change the fixed, published odds of a licensed lottery drawing. If you enjoy this kind of tradition, some say repeating a ritual a few times running makes the effect feel more lasting. At the end of the day, the lottery is a simple game — but to have any shot at winning, you do need to buy a ticket.