A now-retired couple is sharing the secret to how they amassed $27 million in earnings over numerous lottery wins in multiple states after “cracking” the lottery code. Here’s a prime example of why knowing math matters!
Couple has won $27 million in multiple lottery winnings
Back in 2003, when Jerry and Merge Selbee reached their 60s, the parents of six children decided to sell their corner store business in the small town of Evart, Michigan. They planned to enjoy a quiet retirement.
But Jerry was about to discover a new type of venture that would have him and his wife making money for the next several years. Lots of money. In fact, the couple ultimately earned in the range of $27 million.
In 2003, Jerry decided to drop by his former store and have a look around to see how the business was doing, LADBible reported. He spotted a new state lottery game. Taking a closer look, he noticed the game had a “special feature” called a “Rolldown.”
How the rolldown works
Under the normal rules of the lottery, the top prize jackpot continues to build until someone gets all six numbers and wins. However, under the “rolldown” feature, once the jackpot reaches $5 million and no one has matched all of the six numbers, instead of the money continuing to build for the winning six numbers, the money will “roll down” to the lower tier prizewinners. Therefore, it increases the winning amount for those who match five, four, or three numbers.
Man explains the “lottery code”
As it happens, Jerry has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. Studying the rules of the “rolldown” feature and doing the math to calculate the odds in his head, he says that within “three minutes,” he had managed to “crack the code” of the game and realized the opportunity for winning if his calculations were correct.
“I played $1,100,” Jerry told CBS. “Mathematically, I’d have one 4-number winner, that’s 1,000 bucks.”
“I divided 1,100 by six instead of 57, because I did a mental quick dirty, and I come up with 18,” Jerry continued. “At 18, I got $1,000 for a 4-number winner, and I got 18 3-number winners worth $50 each, so that’s 900 bucks.”
“So I got $1,100 invested and I’ve got a $1,900 return,” Jerry added. “We played $515,000 and we got back $853,000.”
Unfortunately, Michigan shut the game down in 2005. But Jerry wasn’t done yet!
Couple takes their “lottery code” on the road and wins even more
After Michigan shut down the game with the “Rolldown” feature in 2005, that wasn’t the end of the story for this clever couple and their lottery code. They managed to find a similar game in Massachusetts called “Cash WinFall.” The couple managed to win even more than they had in Michigan.
Playing the lottery had become a new occupation for the retired couple. Every time there was a “rolldown,” the couple would make the 900-mile drive to Massachusetts, purchasing hundreds of thousands of tickets at two local shops.
A couple said they would play 10 hours a day for ten days straight. They spent over $600,000 per play and made seven plays per year.
“Our first play was $80,000 with 40,000 tickets,” Jerry said, “and our last play was $712,000 with 366,000 tickets.”
“We did spend 11 to 14 nights at the motel in South Deerfield,” Jerry continued, “and it was something we looked forward to.”
“It was something different and it was profitable,” Jerry added, “and it was able to help our family and help our friends out with a little financial boost.”
Eventually, the Massachusetts State Treasurer shut down the Cash Winfall game. In total, the couple says they have won $27 million in all the various lottery games they played.
