To pick your own is true bitul zman.
If you play often enough, perhaps it saves money in the long run.
For example, if I want to know if I won, I have to compare my numbers (picked at random) to the winning numbers. That entails finding my ticket and looking at the lottery’s website for the numbers. However, if I play the same numbers every time, and I play often enough, all I have to do is hear the winning numbers on the radio to know whether or not I won.
The cash value of the current Powerball lottery is not $550 million, but rather it is $360.2 million.
If you like, you can take the payout over time and receive the entire $550 million. (Assuming you win, of course.)
The Wolf