This mathematician has won the lottery 14 times

In the 1990s, a man discovered an algorithm allowing him to almost certainly win the lottery, with a very simple formula.

No, it's not luck. If Stefan Mandel won the lottery 14 times, it is the result of several years of research and calculations, and above all the fruit of a gigantic network involving hundreds of accomplices.

It all started around 11 p.m. on February 15, 1992. An innocent hand drew the balls in front of the Virginia State Lottery headquarters, live on American television. Six winning numbers come out: 8, 11, 13, 15, 19 and 20. But one fact quickly catches the attention of the American authorities: one person wins the jackpot of 27 million dollars, but also the 6 second prizes, the 132 third prizes and 135,000 small prizes. At this level, it can't be luck.

A very simple calculation

Behind this improbable gain lies in truth a network involving hundreds of international investors and dozens of computer systems, all orchestrated by a single man : Stefan Mandel.

The story of this lottery genius begins in communist Romania in the 1970s. Faced with poverty, Mandel, a self-proclaimed "mathematical philosopher", is convinced that arithmetic can make one rich. He sees the lottery as an opportunity to change his life. After years of research and study, he developed an algorithm based on a method he called “combinatorial condensation”.

But then what is this magic formula that almost always allows him to win the lottery ? The method is rather simple. Mandel also states that “any high school mathematics student can calculate these probabilities”. First you need to calculate the total number of possible combinations. For a lottery whose rule is, for example, to find six correct numbers between 1 and 40, the total number of combinations therefore amounts to 3,838,380.

Once the probability has been calculated, it is a question of playing only when the jackpot is much greater than the number of possible combinations. Example : if the number is around 3 million, it is better only to play when the jackpot amounts to at least 6 million dollars, in order to recover an attractive amount compared to the investment. The total amount of combinations multiplied by the price of a bet must be less than the maximum win. Otherwise, it is not profitable.

Hundreds of investors

To ensure he wins, Stefan Mandel then has a simple technique : he buys a lottery ticket for almost every possible combination, often with the help of several accomplices, with whom he shares the winnings. By purchasing millions of grids, Stefan Mandel and his accomplices almost always win.

For his first attempt, the mathematician joins forces with four friends in a small Romanian lottery. Bingo ! He and his accomplices won 72,783 lei (around $17,000 taking into account inflation). In the years that followed, Mandel reproduced the system several times, with much larger amounts involved.

For several years, he convinced hundreds of investors to pool their money and create a “lottery syndicate.” He then developed a complete automation system : a room with many printers and computers running on an algorithm that pre-populated tickets with each combination.

A technique that is inapplicable today

In the 1980s, Mandel's union was operating at full capacity. He and his team won 12 lotteries (and collected 400,000 small prizes) across Australia, including a haul of $1.1 million in 1986. Not fooled, the Australian government eventually reacted and changed the law governing games of chance. It is now forbidden for a single person to play all possible combinations.

Instead of retiring wisely and taking advantage of his small fortune, the mathematician does not stop there and sets his sights on the United States. He repeated his scam in six American lotteries, including that of Massachusetts (jackpot of $37 million for 9 million combinations), Arizona ($11 million for 5.1 million combinations) and Virginia.

In total, Stefan Mandel has won the jackpot 14 times. But the Romanian fought courts for the rest of his life in the states he pulled his scams. His method has permanently changed the rules of the lottery around the world. In almost all countries, it is now impossible to play so many bets at the same time. So no need to try it at home.