A retired couple in Michigan has revealed how they cracked the code on state lotteries and won over $26 million.
Jerry and Marge Selbee from Evart shocked everyone when they found a "loophole" that allowed them to cheat the system.
This all began in 2003 when Jerry, who ran a convenience store with his wife for 17 years, walked into the store and saw a marketing brochure for a new state lottery called Cash Winfall.
The man, who earned a mathematics degree from Western Michigan University, read the brochure when he discovered a way to beat the lottery.
In the game, if the jackpot reached $5 million and no one matched all 6 numbers, the prize money would "roll down" to the winners of the lower tiers.
However, Jerry learned that there was a way to win cash methodically. In an interview with 60 Minutes, he shared his complicated explanation: “If I played $1100, mathematically I’d have one four-number winner – that’s 1000 bucks."
“I divided 1100 by six instead of 57, because I did a mental quick dirty, and I come up with 18. So I knew I’d have either 18 or 19 three-number winners, and that’s 50 bucks each," he continued.
“At 18, I got $1000 for a four-number winner, and I got 18 three-number winners worth $50 each, so that’s 900 bucks," he said, adding: “So I got $1100 invested and I’ve got a $1900 return.”
...I didn't understand it either. Nevertheless, it worked.
During the interview, Jerry was asked if it took him weeks to crack the code, to which he replied: "No, no, not at all. Three minutes."
However, rather than refer to his method as a "loophole", he preferred the term "special feature".
The first time Jerry tried to crack the code, he bought $3,600 in Winfall tickets and won about $6,300, doubling his money. For the next round, he bought $8000 worth of tickets, and once again doubled their investment.
Once Jerry told his wife Marge what he was doing, the cycle continued, and before long they began playing with hundreds of thousands of dollars. They even got their children and friends involved.
For about seven times a year, the couple spent around 10 hours a day for 10 days straight looking over and organizing their tickets, often putting down over $600,000 per play.
The pair kept all their losing tickets, which are estimated to have cost around $18m, in 65 buckets in their barn, per The Independent.
"It is actually just basic arithmetic," Jerry said. "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."
The strategy became so profitable that Jerry created a corporation called GS Investment Strategies and sold shares for $500 a piece to friends and neighbors.
Unfortunately for the rest of us, the Winfall lottery in Michigan closed down due to declining ticket sales. But that didn't deter Jerry who continued to cash in by playing it in Massachusetts where it was still being offered.
After nine years, the Selbees had grossed over $26 million in winning tickets - for a net profit of almost $8 million before taxes, per CBC.
Eventually, their sneaky plan was put to an end after the Boston Globe got a tip that the game was being scammed. It was then shut down by the Massachusetts Lottery.
But as it was 2011 at this point, the couple and their loved ones had already made their fortune. They used the funds to renovate their homes, financially help their six children, and pay for their 14 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren's education.
Although officials launched an investigation into the matter, they realized Jerry and Marge hadn't committed any crimes whatsoever - they had simply profited off their clever mathematics.
When asked by the interviewer if he found the loophole "remarkable," Jerry said: "The only thing I found really remarkable is nobody else really seemed to grasp it."
Their incredible story became the subject of a feature film titled: Jerry & Marge Go Large, which was released in 2022 and stars Bryan Cranston.
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