Couple Won $26 Million On Lottery After Working Out ‘Loophole’ In Just Three Minutes

A couple has revealed how they won an incredible $26 million by using a lottery "loophole."

You might think that feeling cheery or fortunate, or even having a stroke of bad luck, is a sign to buy a lottery ticket and hope for the best.

Writing down random numbers and waiting in anticipation is part of the excitement for many.

But instead of depending on chance, a retired couple employed arithmetic to solve the lotto puzzle and emerged victorious with a tidy $26 million.

Jerry and Marge Selbee figured out a loophole in the Cash Winfall game. CBS

The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million, according to Investopedia.

Yes, purchasing a ticket and crossing your fingers is definitely not very worthwhile.

Jerry and Marge Selbee, though, from Evart, Michigan, discovered a "loophole" in the system that would make them extremely wealthy.

So, what was their method?

Let it be known, though, that the only game from which they were able to profit was Cash Winfall, which has since been halted by authorities after they discovered that people were abusing it to make quick money.

Don't give up your employment just yet, then.

The Selbees, on the other hand, were able to take advantage of the loophole and profit from several legal triumphs that increased their overall wealth by $26 million.

Given that they had originally retired in their early 60s with no intention other than to kick back and "enjoy life," as they said in a CBS News 60 Minutes Overtime segment, it's quite the star tale.

It didn't take long for Jerry to crack the code. 9 News

Should the jackpot in Cash Winfall surpass $5 million and no one succeeds in matching all six numbers, the funds will 'roll down' to the winners of lower-tier prizes.

It didn't take Jerry long to see that this was no ordinary game, as he's always had a bachelor's degree in mathematics and describes himself as a "head for math."

Even though he went into great depth to describe his exact strategy, you'll need to be very proficient in math to really comprehend what he's saying.

"If I played $1100, mathematically I'd have one four-number winner – that's 1000 bucks." he said.

"I divided 1100 by six instead of 57, because I did a mental quick dirty, and I come up with 18. So I knew I'd have either 18 or 19 three-number winners, and that's 50 bucks each."

The couple would keep their tickets in buckets. CBS

"At 18, I got $1000 for a four-number winner, and I got 18 three-number winners worth $50 each, so that's 900 bucks."

"So I got $1100 invested and I've got a $1900 return."

Well, phew. A $800 return on a $1100 investment is a really respectable return, even if you didn't understand all of that.

Jerry bet everything on the idea the first time around, spending $3600 on Winfall tickets.

His ploy paid out, as the couple ended up with $6,300.

He almost quadrupled his investment the next time, spending $8,000 on tickets.

As this cycle persisted, they soon found themselves tinkering with hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Their children and close friends were also interested, but the Winfall game was eventually shut down in Michigan.

But all they did was play it in Massachusetts, where it was still available, and keep making money.

"It is actually just basic arithmetic," added Jerry.

"It gave you the satisfaction of being successful at something that was worthwhile to not only us personally but to our friends and our family."

Ultimately, the Massachusetts Lottery shut down the lottery game after receiving a tip from the Boston Globe that it was being defrauded, which put an end to their strategy.

However, the Selbees and their loved ones had already amassed their wealth by 2011 at this point.

Authorities looked into the situation, but they quickly found that the pair had only found a loophole and hadn't committed any crimes at all.

Due to the extraordinary nature of their narrative, Jerry & Marge Go Large, a feature film starring Bryan Cranston, was released last year.

The movie is available to stream on Paramount Plus if you'd want to see the improbable plot play out on the big screen.