What are your chances of actually winning the big one? Video / NZ Herald
A retired couple in the US have revealed how they've won more than US$26 million after working out how to "beat" the lottery.
Jerry and Marge Selbee used to own a convenience store in Michigan but they soon turned their attention to the lottery when they realised how they could beat it.
Their scheme began in 2003 when Jerry, who graduated with a degree in mathematics, worked out how to win different lotteries around the US.
The lottery which Jerry took part in featured a "roll down" effect, meaning if no one won the US$5m jackpot, the money would be spread across those who matched three, four or five numbers.
Working out the maths, Jerry purchased thousands of tickets knowing he would get a certain number of numbers on his ticket and would at worst break even.
"I said if I played $1100, mathematically I'd have one four-number winner, that's $1000," he told CBS.
"I divided 1100 by six instead of 57 because I did quick mental arithmetic and I come up with 18. So I knew I'd have either 18 or 19 three-number winners and that's $50 each.
"At 18 I got $1000 for a four-number winner, and I got 18 three-number winners worth $50 each, so that's $900. So I got $1100 invested and I've got a $1900 return."
After working out his plan, Jerry bought $3600 worth of Winfall tickets and came out with winning $6300. He then spent a further $8000 and nearly doubled his investment.
After telling his wife about his winnings, the couple began playing with thousands of dollars.
His success blossomed, prompting Jerry to set up a corporation called GS Investment Strategies and invited friends and family to buy shares for $500 each.
The couple took their strategy across the US, playing multiple lotteries in many states.
His company grew to 25 members and for six years they won millions of dollars.
Jerry kept all the losing lottery tickets, which totaled nearly US$18 million dollars and filled 65 plastic buckets. Photo / CBS
The couple would sit in hotel rooms and sort through tickets for 10 hours a day, 10 days in a row playing more than $600,000 per attempt.
"It is actually just basic arithmetic. It gave you the satisfaction of being successful at something that was worthwhile to not only us personally but to our friends and our family," Jerry said.
"The only thing I found really remarkable is nobody else really seemed to grasp it."
However, their luck soon ran out when in 2011 the Boston Globe received a tip off that someone had been "scamming the Cash Winfall" game.
More than $17m was bet by the MIT group, earning over $3.5m in profits, before the Massachusetts state treasurer shut down the game and began an investigation – which found that the chances of winning were not affected by the high-volume betting, therefore the Selbees did not commit a crime.
