Psychic's lotto claim debunked

Astrological betting systems which claim to win on Lotto are bunkum. according to a group which investigates the unexplained.

The Skeptics have attacked a newspaper advertisement in which a self-styled American psychic, Irene Hughes, claims she can help people win Lotto.

"There's a prima facie case for thinking it's a lot of bunkum," the group's secretary, Dr Chris Connolly, said in Christchurch.

Dr Connolly said it had been shown scientifically astrology and numerology did not help contestants win Lotto.

He said he was concerned such advertisements had been published which were aimed at the gullible.

The Skeptics planned to investigate the background of Ms Hughes, who claimed to have used her psychic gifts to help law enforcement authorities in the United States and elsewhere.

Ms Hughes, who calls herself America's leading psychic, claims her revelations will empower people to win more than $1m in less than a month.