If you forked over your hard-earned cash to play the lottery in Texas in the spring of 2023, you may be a little torqued at what you're about to read. The story out in the Wall Street Journal is about "the Joker"—aka John Wilson, formerly known as Zeljko Ranogajec of Tasmania; he's allegedly the bankroller for a group of number-crunching gambling pros who've figured out how to legally game various lottery systems. Ranogajec and his associates reportedly racked up hundreds of millions of dollars in lottery winnings simply by studying the data and capitalizing on gaming situations "ripe for flipping the house edge in their favor," per the Journal.
One such situation: the $95 million jackpot up for grabs in Texas on April 22, 2023. There were about 26 million possible number combinations one could choose from, with tickets $1 apiece. That means if someone bought up every possible number combo, guaranteeing they won the $95 million price, and if no one else picked the winning numbers, that person would come out $65 million ahead. The Journal's story dives into how Ranogajec and his team (online ticket vendor Lottery.com was also involved) were allowed under state law to churn out their own tickets, which expedited their ultimately successful scheme.
Regular lotto players aren't too happy about the development—some have sued—but there's nothing technically amiss about it. "Purchasing an entire lottery draw is not illegal in Texas—although some experts argue it should be, as it is unfair to regular players who don't know they are at best competing for half the advertised jackpot," the Houston Chronicle noted in July. "There also is no law preventing licensed retailers from selling tickets to someone aiming to accomplish that." (More here.)
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