Lottery Winner Who Beat the Odds 14 Times Shares Simple Mathematical Approach

Almost everyone has daydreamed about what they would do if they struck the lottery Jackpot at some point in their lives. For most people, having enough money to buy a house would be more than satisfactory, maybe after winning at slot machines.

However, for one Romanian gentleman, speculation wasn't necessary because he is among the fortunate lottery winners. What sets Stefan Mandel apart from the rest is that he didn't win once, not twice, but an astonishing fourteen times. And what's more, this economist claims that his victories were all thanks to a straightforward mathematical strategy.
Here, a lottery winner who beat the odds 14 times shares simple mathematical approach.

Who is Stefan Mandel?

During the 1960s, Stefan Mandel, an economist from Romania, faced significant financial challenges. To overcome his difficulties, he devised an unconventional solution: winning the lottery. However, unlike most individuals who rely solely on luck to hit the Jackpot, Mr. Mandel pursued a different approach.

This mathematical genius dedicated his spare time to studying the probability theories of mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci.
After years of diligent effort, he developed a “number-selection algorithm” based on his unique concept known as “combinatorial condensation”.

Mr. Mandel's method successfully anticipated five out of six winning numbers. Consequently, the algorithm significantly reduced the number of potential winning combinations from millions to mere thousands.
Together with a group of friends, he invested in a substantial quantity of tickets, covering all possible combinations. This strategic move ultimately resulted in claiming the top prize.

Additionally, together with a consortium of investors and a syndicate called Lottery Fund, Mandel focused his efforts on 14 diverse lotteries across the globe. However, this is not something possible now in online casinos.

In a YouTube interview, Mandel explained, “In theory, anyone can purchase all the possible combinations. Any high school student can calculate those combinations. However, no one has ever devised a logistical system to process such an enormous number of play slips”.
Focusing on a game in Virginia, United States, Mandel estimated they had 7,059,052 options to choose from due to the state's rule of selecting six numbers between one and 44 and apparently, those were favorable odds.

Virginia also allowed players to print their tickets at home, eliminating the need to purchase them from a cashier. Equipped with thirty computers, Mandel and his team printed out every conceivable ticket combination.

In February 1992, Mandel and his team claimed $900,000 in additional prizes for tickets that placed second, third, fourth, and so on. And that was in addition to the $27 million Jackpot prize, of course. Fourteen international agencies, including the CIA and the FBI, investigated Mandel and the ILF for any wrongdoing, but they couldn’t find any crime.

In 1995, Mandel proceeded to declare bankruptcy, and for the subsequent decade, he engaged in different investment endeavors.
One of these endeavors almost resulted in his imprisonment in Israel, but his conviction was eventually overturned, ensuring that Mandel did not serve any time in custody.

Many lottery winners often squander their winnings - splurging on extravagant mansions and luxury cars, gambling recklessly, or becoming entangled in legal battles.
But professionals know that is better to have a financial team that can provide valuable guidance in making intelligent financial decisions, planning for the long term, and safeguarding against media intrusion and the incessant barrage of monetary requests from others.

So Stefan Mandel understood the importance of maintaining composure and adopting a pragmatic approach to financial planning that focuses on the future.
As for Mandel, he has chosen to lead a tranquil existence on the picturesque island nation of Vanuatu in the South Pacific, renowned for its volcanoes and cascading waterfalls.

Currently, Mandel enjoys his time on a secluded tropical island off the coast of Australia, basking on the beach, having declared himself retired from lottery, Jackpot, slot machines and so on.
To this day, he has not disclosed the precise algorithm he and his team used to crack the system. In 1992, when asked by a reporter, Mandel replied, “That would be like Coca-Cola revealing their recipe”.

Although Mandel's strategy was within the bounds of the law during its time, recent legislations in both the United States and Australia have made his approach unviable today. It is no longer permissible to purchase lottery tickets in large quantities or generate personal tickets at home, which were essential components of Mandel's method.