A couple opens up about how they found a loophole in the lottery and won a staggering $26 million.
Maybe you’re like me, and every now and then you feel happy, joyful, or even get pooped on by a bird – it’s happened twice – and you think it must be a sign to buy a lottery ticket, punch in some random numbers, and wait in hope.
However, one retired couple did not rely on luck, but used mathematics to crack the lottery code and won a whopping $26 million.
According to Investopedia, the odds of winning the jackpot in the Powerball drawing are 1 in 292.2 million. Yeah, there’s definitely not much point in buying a ticket and just keeping your fingers crossed.
However, Jerry and Marge Selbee of Evart, Michigan, found a “loophole” in the system that allowed them to become mega-rich. So how did they do it?
Well, let’s be clear that they could only profit from a specific game called Cash Winfall. This game has since been suspended after authorities realized that people were abusing the game to make quick money.
So don’t just quit your job yet.
However, the Selbees managed to capitalize on the loophole and scored several legitimate victories, making them a total of $26 million richer.
Jerry and Marge Selbee discovered a loophole in the Cash Winfall game. (CBS)
It’s quite the star story, considering they initially retired in their early 60s with no plan other than to put their feet up and “enjoy life,” as they explained on an episode of CBS News’ 60 minutes extra time.
If the jackpot in Cash Winfall reaches $5 million and no one matches all six numbers, the money rolls over to the winners in the lower tiers.
And since Jerry had always had a “head for math,” and had a bachelor’s degree in the subject, it only took him a few minutes to realize that this was a game like no other.
Although he explains his exact tactics in great detail, you have to be a pretty good mathematician to understand what he’s saying. And to see what you think of it.
“If I bet $1,100, mathematically I would have one winner with four numbers – that’s $1,000,” he said.
“I divided 1,100 by six instead of 57, because I made a quick mental guess and I came up with 18. So I knew I would have 18 or 19 three-number winners, and that’s $50 each.
It didn’t take long for Jerry to crack the code. (9News)
“When I was 18, I got $1,000 for a four-number winner, and I got 18 three-number winners, each worth $50, so that’s $900.
“So I invested $1,100 and I got a return of $1,900.”
Phew. Even if you don’t understand all that, it’s easy to see that an $800 return on an $1,100 investment is pretty good.
The first time Jerry tried the plan, he went all in and bought $3,600 worth of Winfall tickets. His trick worked, and the couple made $6,300.
The next time he bought $8,000 worth of lottery tickets, nearly doubling his investment. This cycle continued, and soon they were playing with hundreds of thousands of dollars.
They even involved their children and close friends, but unfortunately the Winfall competition in Michigan was stopped.
But they continued to make money playing the game in Massachusetts, where it was still offered.
The couple kept their tickets in buckets. (CBS)
“It’s just basic arithmetic, really,” Jerry added. “It gave you the satisfaction of being successful at something that was not only worthwhile for us personally, but also for our friends and family.”
Ultimately, their plan was foiled after the Boston Globe received a tip that the lottery was being rigged, and the Massachusetts Lottery subsequently decided to shut down the lottery.
But it was now 2011 and the Selbees and their loved ones had already amassed their fortune.
Although authorities launched an investigation into the case, they soon discovered that the couple had committed no crimes at all. They had simply discovered a loophole in the law.
Their story is so great that it became the subject of a feature film titled Jerry & Marge are going big, which was released last year and stars Bryan Cranston.
If you want to see the unlikely story on the big screen, you can watch the film on Paramount Plus.
