Man reveals the Lotto loophole that won him over $40m to The Hits’ Jono and Ben

Most of us dream of winning the lottery at some point, but view it as a pure game of chance.

But for a retired American man, winning the lottery is “simple math.”

Jerry Selbee, now in his 80s, spoke to The Hits radio hosts Jono Pryor and Ben Boyce about how he found “holes” in the game, which eventually earned him more than $27 million ($43 million).

He explained that it all started when he saw a brochure for a new lottery game called WinFall in 2003.

“The way it works, the jackpot is guaranteed to start at $2 million. If no one wins it, it continues to accumulate until it reaches $5 million,” he said.

“By that time, if no one wins, all $5 million will roll over into smaller tiers like three-number winners, four-number winners and five-number winners,” he told Kiwi Radio. people explained.

Selbee went on to explain that the vulnerability is “simple math.”

“I looked at the booklet and the booklet listed the odds of two in 56 and two out of three for a triple-digit winner.

“The odds of getting a four-figure winner are 1 in 1,032. So I just looked at it and I said to myself, well, if I play $1,100, mathematically I’ll get a four-figure winner. and 18 third winners.

“When the windfall happened, the four winners were expected to be worth $1,000. When the windfall happened, the three winners were expected to be worth $50. So I just added them together and it was $1,900 of $1,100. The dollar pays off the bet.”

At first, he played it secretly because the trick was played more often. “You narrow the possibilities between math and what’s possible.”

When the lottery stopped in his hometown, he and his wife, Maggie, drove all the way to Massachusetts, where they would buy tickets all day for hours on end.

He told the radio host what he did was “absolutely legal”.

“I created a paper trail and I did five federal audits and four Massachusetts audits and two Michigan audits and never had a problem.”

Selby’s story was later made into a movie starring Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston, who told the radio host that he was a “really nice guy.”

Despite being “a little apprehensive” at first, Selby enjoyed the film.

“But the way they present it, it’s a good, wholesome, feel-good story.”

He added that he and his wife just saved their winnings – they still live in the same house they’ve lived in for 37 years.

“Our goal is just to play the game and the satisfaction of doing it and being successful.”