Retired Couple win Lottery Millions by using Basic Arithmetic

By Steve Ashfield

onJan 30, 2019

Retired Couple win Lottery Millions by using Basic Arithmetic

Maths graduate Jerry Selbee took three minutes to realise there was a lucrative flaw in his local lottery and it led him to lottery millions worth $26m.[caption id="attachment_11370" align=aligncenter width=620] lottery millions jerry

Jerry Selbee talking about his lottery millions[/caption]

Just Three Minutes Needed

It was in 2003 when still living in Michigan, USA, that the new Winfalll game grabbed Jerry Selbee’s attention. Six numbers had to be matched to win the jackpot. However, when it reached $5m there would be a roll-down with lower tiers seeing their values increased.Jerry worked out a simple way to make sure buying tickets was worthwhile. All he needed to do was buy thousands of tickets on roll-down weeks. The first time he tried it, an outlay of $3,600 produced returns of $6,300. The next time his investment was doubled thanks to plenty of tickets matching three or four numbers.The couple spent up to ten hours in a hotel sorting through their Winfalll tickets. They even set up GS Investment Strategies and invited their family and friends to buy shares costing $500 each. When the game was closed due to “lack of sales,” the couple thought their winning streak had ended.Then they discovered the game was also being played in Massachusetts, so they started playing there. Just in case there was ever a federal investigation, the couple kept all their losing tickets. Just as in Michigan, the Winfalll game was also shut down.

All Perfectly Legal

An investigation was carried out but Greg Sullivan, then state inspector general in Massachusetts, was in for a surprise. He was “dumbfoundedly amazed” that “these math-nerd geniuses” had discovered how to constantly get lottery wins and it was perfectly legal. Later some geniuses from MIT also discovered the flaw and got in on the act.Once they were in the clear, the couple used their lottery millions to send their 14 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren through college. They are now in their 80s, but a flash lifestyle isn’t being led. However, the film rights of their lottery success have now been sold, so it looks like the next stop is Hollywood!