How Math Helped One Man Win the Lottery 14 Times (2 of 3)

The plan wasn’t illegal, but it certainly pushed the boundaries of what lottery systems anticipated. To make it work, Mandel first spent years convincing investors to fund the operation. Then he designed custom algorithms to generate every number combination and print tickets in bulk—something certain lotteries still allowed at the time.

Timing was everything. Mandel’s team waited patiently until jackpots crossed the profitability threshold. Only then did they mobilize, flooding ticket vendors with millions of pre-printed entries. Even with careful planning, execution was messy. Machines jammed. Retailers hesitated. Deadlines loomed. And nowhere was this chaos more intense than in Virginia.

Jackpot in Virginia: $15.5 Million

After multiple successful wins in Australian lotteries, Mandel turned his attention to the United States. One state immediately stood out: Virginia. Its newly launched lottery used numbers from just 1 to 44, creating only 7,059,052 possible combinations—dramatically fewer than the 25 million-plus seen elsewhere.

When the Virginia jackpot climbed to $15.5 million, Mandel gave the green light. His team descended on the state, armed with pre-printed tickets and pre-arranged agreements with lottery retailers. Despite careful coordination, not every store cooperated, leaving gaps in the coverage.

Over two frantic days, the team managed to purchase approximately 6.4 million tickets—just shy of full saturation. It was a calculated risk. When the numbers were drawn, the winning ticket was among those they held. Mandel had done it again.

The payout triggered immediate scrutiny. A man winning millions through sheer organization and math didn’t sit well with regulators—or the public.

The Agencies Took Notice

The scale and precision of Mandel’s operation prompted investigations by both the FBI and the CIA. Authorities dissected his methods, traced his funding, and reviewed his ticket purchases line by line.

Their conclusion was simple and frustrating: everything was legal. Mandel hadn’t hacked systems, bribed officials, or falsified tickets. He had simply played the game exactly as written—just far more thoroughly than anyone else ever had.