re: Are all the Lotto’s rigged? Texas Lotto accused of working hand in hand with Lotto winner.

quote:

---

I believe there have been 2 Powerball/MegaMillions jackpots claimed anonymously through a law firm that has also done work for Jeffrey Epstein.

---

I thought it was a lottery in Oklahoma or something.

Of course they are rigged, easiest way to collect money from dumb people. Why wouldn’t they be?

I remember this story from a while back guy had to find a gas station clerk that would print tickets off hours or all day.

Michigan couple Jerry and Marge Selbee legally exploited a mathematical loophole in the state's Winfall lottery game and a similar one in Massachusetts, winning nearly $27 million in total winnings over a decade. Their actions were not an illegal "exploitation" in the criminal sense but a smart use of probability that the state lotteries had not accounted for.

How the Loophole Worked
Jerry Selbee, a retired materials analyst with a mathematics degree, discovered the flaw in 2003.

The "Rolldown" Feature: The Winfall game had a special rule: if the jackpot reached $5 million and no one won the top prize, the money "rolled down" and was distributed to players with lower-tier matches (matching three, four, or five numbers) in the next drawing.

The Math: Jerry calculated that during a rolldown, the odds of smaller payoffs became significantly more favorable. By purchasing thousands of tickets in bulk (spending at least $1,100, which he found guaranteed a return of about $1,900), he could guarantee a profit.

The Process: When a rolldown was announced, the couple and their later-formed investment group would buy hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of tickets, which often involved days of sorting and counting the tickets by hand in a hotel room.

The Outcome
Legality: The Selbees formed a corporation, G.S. Investment Strategies, and involved family and friends, all while paying taxes and keeping meticulous records. An investigation by the Massachusetts State Inspector General confirmed that their actions were legal, as they had not changed the odds for anyone else, just played the game strategically.
Winnings: Over nine years, the group played the Michigan game 12 times and the Massachusetts game 43 times, grossing over $26 million and making a profit of nearly $8 million before taxes.
Game Cancellation: The Michigan game was discontinued in 2005 due to lack of sales (ironically, outside of the Selbees' bulk purchases). The Massachusetts game was shut down in 2012 after the Boston Globe exposed how both the Selbees' group and a syndicate of MIT students were dominating the game, leading to public scrutiny.
Impact: The couple used their winnings to renovate their home and help their children and grandchildren pay for education. Their story inspired the 2022 film Jerry & Marge Go Large, starring Bryan Cranston and Annette Bening.

quote:

---

What is "detarded"?

---

I kinda like it

Also this isn’t the first time this been done. I think it’s illegal in some states now.

quote:

---

and it's not illegal to buy 25.8M lottery tickets.

---

Then it's possible to duplicate it, and if that encourages others to duplicate that, and another, and another, then when they spend $25 million but four others do, and the pot gets split and everyone loses $8 million then that activity stops.

I’ve said for years now that I don’t think the winners really exist. I think it’s all a big scam.

Anyone who plays any sort of lottery is a loser anyway.


Probably would just spend any winnings on energy drinks and smokes.

He was just playing the odds. Happens all the time.