Mass. Lottery game very profitable for those who know how and when to play

Comment #28

RJOh — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 09:24:57 GMT

If the payouts didn't exceed the odds of winning then there were too many hogs in the feeding trough for that roll down. Since all the big spenders formed gambling companies they can claim all their loses including the cost of tickets as professional gamblers and are not limited to only claiming loses up to the amount they won as regular players are. The big spenders could still break even for the year since these roll downs happen several times during the year, if not then as gamblers they shou... [ More ]

Comment #27

RL-RANDOMLOGIC — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 19:19:10 GMT

RJOh

Run off 500,000 random sets for a game and see how it does over time, They may be pooling money from

many sources which would make the end payout even less. If I buy all 575757 sets for my 5-39 and half

of that goes back into the prize. Lets say that the JP was 575757 / 2 = $287878.50 plus half of my investment

of $287878.50 would bring the prize up to $575757 and I would get my money back if no other person matched

all 5 numbers minus taxes which should not be a problem bec... [ More ]

Comment #26

RL-RANDOMLOGIC — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 18:57:56 GMT

RJOh

Random tickets overall would conform to the odds of the game. If the prize payout was less then

the tickets needed to win then they take a big gamble. Playing at that level is something I can't

afford to do and if I could afford it then I would not play. In the article they mentioned a 5 of 6

could win $100,000.00 and that would mean that it was very safe but I still think some sort of

system or wheel would needed to ensure a certain amount of coverage. If the payouts were... [ More ]

Comment #25

RJOh — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 18:46:33 GMT

From other stories I've read about this the math done by several math professors showed anyone who bought a $100,000 worth of CashFall tickets during the rundown would likely earn their money back plus a profit which five gambling companies were doing. The only strategy they used or needed was buying several hundreds thousands tickets randomly before the drawing.

Comment #24

RL-RANDOMLOGIC — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 18:28:46 GMT

RJOh

The roll down would still carry the same odds for the game as any other drawing on a ticket by ticket

bases. They would need more than just a betting strategy unless the payouts exceded the odds for

each lower prize which on may 9th 2011 the payouts were as below

Normal odds roll down payouts

2x= free ticket 1 in 6.8 $ no info

3x = $5.00 1 in 47.4 $26.00

4X= $150.00 1 in 800 $824.00

5X= $4000.00 1 in 39,028 $24, 821.00

6X= JP 1 in 9,366,819

Matching a 4 of... [ More ]

Comment #23

RJOh — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 14:52:33 GMT

That could have been predicted once the winning strategy that actually worked was exposed by the news paper stories. It's also likely this game will be replaced with in the year. Those big spenders knew once the story was out to the general public their buying all those tickets at one or two stores would end.

I just wonder how many other lottery quirks may exist that the general public don't know about and lotteries don't talk about.

Comment #22

miss9 — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 13:08:11 GMT

Following this story the state Treasurer put a limit on the number of tickets for the Cash WinFall game stores can sell per day.

Treasurer Grossman said stores can sell a maximum of $5,000 worth of Cash WinFall tickets in a single day.

Comment #21

RJOh — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 05:29:20 GMT

It's interesting to note that in spite of those groups buying millions of tickets, the jackpot has only be won once in seven years. Seem likes buying lots of tickets during the roll back period when the match4 and match5 payouts are large is the only strategy a player needs, not an MIT education.

Comment #20

TheOtherOne — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 04:33:31 GMT

I find it interesting that the group was from MIT.

What, does the faculty/student body of MIT sit around and hold classes on how to 'Break' Vegas and Break lotteries? :)

First they mastered card counting (cant remember the official name of the group but just watch the movie '21' with Kevin Spacey), now they are on to the lottery.

I am sure they have schemed more than that, which is awesome either way.

Maybe I should seek out an online course from there lol

Comment #19

maringoman — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 20:28:24 GMT

Just goes to show you that different people have different needs. Imagine losing a home because you gambled it away? How do you explain it to your family and friends? These are the kinds of things that make men and women jump over the Tobin Bridge or the infamous Golden Gate Bridge

Comment #18

RJOh — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 14:16:41 GMT

If it was a guaranteed return, Bank of America would probably be investing in it, they've lost money investing in more risky ventures.

Years ago when state lotteries first started to come on strong, there were quite a few players who thought they could beat them if they invested enough and took out second mortgages on their homes. People learned from those folks going bankrupt and losing their home that it was a bad idea to borrow money to play lotteries.

Comment #17

RJOh — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 14:04:14 GMT

Maybe now that this quirk has drawn national attention, Massachusetts will reconsider its value as states like Ohio, Indiana and Illinois and others have pick6 games where the jackpots have gone over a year without a winner and rolled to over $40M which attracted even more players. Sounds like this quirk only attracts small groups of extra players, many from out of state who only play because they are guaranteed to win more than they contribute to the state. And if their winnings are in amounts

Comment #16

Todd — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:57:01 GMT

It's like anything in life: there are no guarantees from anything. But it's also true in life that in most cases big rewards are gained through risk. So it's all a matter of containing the risk and risking what you can afford. And these people seem to have done that.

Comment #15

Fondant — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:40:55 GMT

While I love these stories, the concept of dropping between 100,000$ and 300,000$ on a lottery game in one day (or 3) is beyond daunting for me. Odds may be stacked in your favor, but you still have to walk away knowing that you may lose it all. I have a hard time 'losing' 20

Comment #14

Todd — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:13:22 GMT

I think many knew of the quirk (i.e., rules) of the game, but few knew how to properly exploit it. (Even fewer would have had the resources to do it.)

No, I don't think Bank of America would give you a $500,000 loan to buy lottery tickets.

Comment #13

maringoman — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:05:16 GMT

If its a guaranteed return if you invest $500,000 would Bank of America allow people to borrow money and buy CashWinfall tix when the jackpot is full?

I suspect the other high rollers around the country will read this article and fly in to buy tickets the next time the jackpot is full. Then a lot of media attention will follow and questions raised then shutdown of the game. Those odds are amazing if you got that kind of bread to risk.

I have known about this little quirk for some time now

Comment #12

dallascowboyfan — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 12:36:02 GMT

WOW!!!!! 300,000 tickets.... as Herm Edwards said you play to win the game

Comment #11

jackpotismine — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 10:27:31 GMT

You're right. Waiting for the right moment to go 'Bam'! $100.00 Straight on xxx number. When it hits, it's heaven. You just got to be brave.

Comment #10

Todd — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 10:16:36 GMT

I love stories like this, because it goes to show that if you continue to examine the lottery from all angles, you can find ways to turn a good profit.

Note that like most smart gambling strategies, it involves a technique for wagering. Doing well in gambling is not all about how you play the game; it's largely about how you wager.

Comment #9

Trillionaire — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 09:22:11 GMT

John Kerry's friends no doubt.

Comment #8

Telco Tech — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 06:46:23 GMT

I'd say it's equivalent to pushing all your chips in the pot when you're holding the nuts as they say. This was an interesting article. I usually don't play the Pick 5 game until the pot rolls over a number of times, and the California game doesn't do anything to pump up the lower tier prizes.

Comment #7

RJOh — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 04:09:08 GMT

During normal weeks, picking five out of six numbers correctly will generate a $4,000 prize, but the prize rises to $20,000 to $40,000 during roll downs, depending on how many winning tickets are cashed. Likewise, the prize for picking four of six numbers swells from $150 to $800 or even $1,000, while the prize for picking three numbers jumps from $5 to $26 or more.

Ohio Classic Lotto pays $1,500 for picking five out of six. With those kinds of payouts normally, Massachusetts Cash WinFall is

Comment #6

myturn — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 03:52:21 GMT

I play cash windfall by subscription, unfortunately, I have not won anything big yet

Comment #5

rdgrnr — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 03:02:42 GMT

So Mass has a game that favors only the rich who can afford to play it?

Why are those dems giving these big breaks to the rich

Comment #4

haymaker — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 01:26:04 GMT

they did't want to talk about it,ya see? when a system really can work,no one is advertising it.

the cats outta the bag.

watch this game disappear.

simalar game in MI. did where they owned a store.

Comment #3

sully16 — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 01:18:43 GMT

I call them the most die-hard players ever. what ever works

Comment #2

Genome — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 01:08:11 GMT

when ever cash winfall gets to that 2 million amount. I play about about $15 when i would usually play only $2. But I dont have $100,000 to spend on it.

Comment #1

jarasan — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 01:04:31 GMT

Quirk............ I'd call it: Not for long .

Mass. Lottery game very profitable for those who know how and when to play

Lottery Post — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 00:48:11 GMT

High-rolling gamblers are exploiting a quirk in Cash WinFall, raking in huge profits every 3 months

Billy's Beer and Wine sold exactly $47 worth of lottery tickets the day before Marjorie Selbee arrived, just another sleepy day for the liquor store in this tiny Western Massachusetts town. But from the moment the 70-something woman from Michigan entered the store early July 12, Billy's wasn't sleepy anymore.

Over the next three days, Selbee bought $307,000 worth of $2 tickets for a relative... [ More ]