How a Retired Couple Outsmarted the Lotto System to Win Millions
And other real-life winners and losers
Based on Jason Fagone’s 2018 HuffPost article, the comedy/drama “Jerry and Marge Go Large” showed how the generous Evart, Michigan couple made things better for their neighbors. The Selbees found a mathematical loophole in a lottery game called “Winfall” that they exploited and shared. According to “The Cinemaholic,” they spent as much as $720,000 on lottery tickets for one drawing and ultimately made $26 million before they were done. Lottery officials then stepped in to investigate and discovered that other people had found the same loophole.
The Selbees are considered folk heroes thanks to their honesty and generosity. They also did nothing illegal. That wasn’t quite the case with “Press Your Luck” contestant Paul Michael Larson. He recorded episodes of “Press Your Luck” at home and, after watching his tapes, Larson uncovered the five patterns used on the “Big Board.” In the studio, he made over $110,000 during his appearance, which was shown in two parts. Although producers thought he cheated, Larson claimed his winnings. A thief later stole $50,000 in cash from Larson’s home. (He was using the money to win a radio contest.)
In 1956, producers of the quiz show “Twenty-One” wanted college professor Charles Van Doren…
