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How a Mathematical Loophole Led to Lottery Wins of $26m
How a Mathematical Loophole Led to Lottery Wins of $26m
Jerry and Marge Selbee from Michigan, USA, have won $26 million playing lottery games. Their success didn’t come in one draw but several over a period of years. Now a film has been made about how they found a loophole that led to their wins.
The movie ‘Jerry and Marge Go Large’ was released on Paramount + in June. From an early age, Jerry had an amazing mathematical talent. In 2000, Jerry discovered the Winfall lottery game and he found a mathematical loophole that led to millions of dollars being won.
The game had 49 main numbers with six successful choices needed to win the jackpot. However, you were able to get lottery wins even if you matched just two of the numbers that produced a win.
Jerry worked out that the best time to play Winfall was when there was a rolldown. This would see the value of the lower tiers increased. If a large number of tickets was purchased for a draw, that increased the possibility of lower-tier wins and profits being made due to the larger amounts available for smaller wins.
Thousands of tickets bought
We’re not talking about buying just a few tickets though. The couple had to set up a company called GS Investment Strategies LLC and were buying thousands of tickets and no laws were being broken..
The Winfall game was eventually closed down but that wasn’t the end of their success. Another lottery game in Massachusetts called Cash Winfall was found and again Jerry worked out a mathematical loophole.
More wins followed and at one stage they were buying 366,000 tickets costing them $712,000 but they still managed to make a profit from their purchases. An investigation by the Boston Globe newspaper led to restrictions being placed on the Cash Winfall game and the couple’s run of success came to an end.
A modest life
The couple still live a modest life. Their winnings have been used to help their family and also veterans and their local area have been given assistance.
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